


Ben's Ex-Girlfriend

by ava_martini



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-08-26 14:43:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 22,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16683568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ava_martini/pseuds/ava_martini
Summary: This story takes place after Season 3x14 "Road Trip" and between Season 3x15 "The Bubble". Ben's ex-girlfriend visits Pawnee and causes a strain on Ben and Leslie's secret relationship.





	1. Benji

**Author's Note:**

> I borrowed Amy Santiago's (Brooklyn 99) personality and name to portray Ben's Ex-Girlfriend. Sorry, I’m too lazy to make up my own characters... 😂

**At the City Hall of Pawnee:**

Leslie stops herself from holding Ben's hand while walking down the corridors of City Hall as they head to Chris Traeger's office after being summoned. It takes every ounce of self-control on her part not to react when their hands brush against each other. It doesn't help that each time her skin made contact with his, it sends tiny shivers down her spine.

Ben turns his head slightly towards her and gives her a coy smile knowing full well how much Leslie is struggling from keeping her hands to herself. Her attempt to look unaffected made it even more adorable in his eyes.

They have been secretly dating for a few weeks now and both of them can't seem to get enough of each other. Only Leslie's beautiful best friend, Ann and her ball-busting mother, know about this and they must absolutely keep their relationship a secret or else Leslie and Ben would lose their jobs. But that very real and scary consequence does not stop them from meeting up in Ann's new office to freely flirt with each other whenever they can.

 

************************

**At Chris Traeger's Office:**

Chris's face lights up when he sees Ben and Leslie walk in, "Ben Wyatt! Leslie Knope! Thank you for your promptness. I called you here in my office today to introduce you to Amy Santiago!" He pauses and turns to Ben, "Although, I'm sure Ben needs no introduction." Chris's smile widens as he drinks in Ben's surprised and speechless look.

Leslie extends her hand to Amy, a little confused at where Chris is heading with this. "Hi Amy, I'm Leslie Knope, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation." Amy shakes her hand and gives her a smile.

Amy turns to Ben and suddenly gives him a tight hug, "Oh my God, Benji! It's really nice to see you again." Leslie raises her eyebrow and notices that Ben looks a little too excited as he returns the hug.

"You guys-- You guys know each other?" Leslie asks in a voice she was afraid to admit might be a little too shrill. She is taken aback at seeing this beautiful tall brunette wrap her arms around  _her Ben_. She adds a little fake laugh and glances at the camera instinctively, pretending to be unaffected by this intimate exchange her boyfriend and this not unattractive girl is having.

"Yes. Uh. Amy here is a friend. From Indianapolis." Ben stammers as he pulls away from Amy's hug. His goofy smile slowly fading as he remembers Leslie's presence.

"Oh Benji. I'm pretty sure we were more than friends at one point in time." Amy laughs after sharing this information to the group. Her hand playfully lands on Ben's arm and Leslie is sure she sees Amy give it a little squeeze.

 

************************

**Cut to One-on-One Interview with Leslie:**

Leslie stands frozen in front of the camera. Eyes wide open, looking crazy. Silently mouths the word "Benji?" No sound comes out of her open mouth as she stares at the camera with her wide blue eyes.

 

************************

**Back to Chris's Office:**

"I see. And may I ask what is the purpose of your visit here in Pawnee?" Leslie says with a plastered forced smile on her face. Ben looks at Leslie, alarmed at how high pitch her voice sounds. He sees Leslie's crazy eyes start to form and he becomes worried, she is obviously not taking in this news with grace.

At that moment, Leslie wishes she could shoot laser out of her eyes and burn Amy's hand off of Ben's arm.

"Well, I'm a wedding planner and my client is planning to hold their wedding in their hometown of Pawnee." Amy announces, flashing her pearly white teeth at Ben. "After I found out who was the City Manager of Pawnee, I just had to come down and visit personally!" Amy claps her hand together mimicking Chris's excitement.

"Amy needs your help, Leslie. They want to hold the wedding in one of our parks. I'd like for you to give her a list of top ranking parks here in Pawnee." Chris says, pointing his finger at Leslie.

"And you, Ben, why don't you take Amy out for lunch and catch up with each other!" Chris excitedly suggests as he pushes Ben and Amy out the door. Ben glances back at Leslie, a wave of guilt hits him when he sees her frozen in place unable to express any protest at seeing her boyfriend walk out of the room with his ex-girlfriend tightly hugging his arm.

 

************************

**Cut to One-on-One Interview with Chris:**

"I have never been literally this excited to see two beautiful people possibly getting back together." Chris looks at the camera and smiles nostalgically. "And yes, I was the one who matched them up." Chris declares. "When I found out that Amy was single and Ben was single, I knew they were perfect for each other." Chris looks proudly at the camera as if he had just revealed the secret to matchmaking.

 

**-End Scene-**


	2. There She Goes

**At a Fancy Restaurant:**

Amy's sweet laugh rings out as she flirtatiously slaps Ben's arm. "I distinctly remember that you started it!"

"No. No. No. You were the one who suggested that we dive in!" Ben laughs as the memories come rushing back.

"Oh Benji... " Amy sighs suddenly turning solemn. "Whatever happened to us?" Amy gazes at Ben's eyes. Their relationship ended a few months ago but they had been drifting apart way before they officially ended it.  Seeing Ben again, though, elicited emotions she had felt when they first started dating.

"Well, you know, I had to keep moving around... Because of the job... It just wasn't fair to you." Ben can't bring himself to say the truth which he realizes they never really said out loud to each other.  He recalls how they tried to make it work but in the end it was just a mutual understanding that the fire was gone and they went their separate ways. 

Leslie's face creeps into his brain as it ever so often did since he first laid eyes on her.  It was gnawing on him that he had to leave her hanging back in City Hall.  She is probably going crazy about this lunch date and he hopes that she wouldn't do anything stupid because of this. But knowing Leslie, she might just actually do something crazy...

"Well, this day is just truly wonderful. I get a chance to catch up with you." She reaches over and fiddles with Ben's cuffs. "I always loved talking to you, it was just easy, you know?" Amy gives Ben a wide smile. She makes up her mind that she is going to try to restart their relationship and  see where it leads. 

"Are you seeing anyone?" Amy quickly asks before she loses her courage.

"What? Uh... No. Uh. No." Ben shakes his head a little too vigorously.

"So, you and Leslie?  Nothing's going on there?"

"No. No, why would you think that?" Ben says with a little laugh to cover up his nervousness at this topic, he is worried that his feelings for Leslie are getting too obvious.

"I guess she just seemed really intense. I thought she looked a bit shaken when we left her in Chris's office."

"Oh. Well, Leslie is very intense.  She just takes her job seriously and was probably already planning out the different parks to suggest for your client's wedding." He hopes that Amy will believe his explanation. "But, no. I'm not seeing anyone. I am very much single." Ben adds, trying to sound convincing.

"Well, that's good to hear." Amy tucks her hair behind her ear. "Lately, I've been thinking of moving to a smaller town. Indianapolis is just too busy for me now, you know. It's like a big giant city full of people, yet I always feel so alone." She looks up at Ben and her heart flips when he sees Ben looking thoughtful. His eyes were always so intense and beautiful. "I want to find a place that I can really feel at home."

"Oh, you'll love Pawnee! It's really a special place. I would definitely recommend it." He always considered Amy as a good sounding board. Having her here would let them get the chance to hang out again. Although, now that he thinks about it, he wondered if Leslie would be OK with him hanging out with Amy at all.

Amy smiles at Ben's encouragement as she takes a sip of her wine. She feels very positive about this. Plus, Benji looked more handsome than the last time she saw him.

 

************************

**Back in City Hall at Ann's Office:**

"ANN! OH MY GOD! ANN! ANN! ANN! ANN!" Leslie screams as she pushes open the door to Ann's office.

"What's going on, Leslie?" Ann rushes to meet her half way in. She holds Leslie's arm and tries to steady her.

"Ben... Amy... He... Just... And Chris..." Leslie can't get the words straight out of her mouth. Her mind was going 1000 miles per second. 

"Leslie, is everything alright?" Ann says looking confused.

"No! Ben's ex-girlfriend is here!"

"What? Oh my God! What is she doing here?"

"She's planning a wedding here for her client and now she and Ben are out on a lunch date!" Leslie exclaims the last part of her sentence and starts hyperventilating.

"It's just lunch, Leslie. Calm down."

"Calm down? He's on a freaking date with someone he used to have sex with!" Leslie's crazy eyes are back and Ann starts worrying for her friend. Crazy-Eyed Leslie is not one to listen to reason. "I know she's up to something. She looks like a girl that's always up to something. And that something is to steal my cute boyfriend away from me!"

"Leslie, I love you. But you have got to breathe!"

"I can't, Ann! Ugh!!!" Leslie walks to Ann's desk and slumps on the chair. She buries her face in her hands and starts mumbling.

"I can't hear what you're saying." Ann goes to Leslie and lifts her face up. "Look, you have nothing to worry about. Ben is crazy about you. I see you guys here every day flirting with one another. I'm half afraid my office will be riddled with ants from all the sugary things you say to each other."

"You're right. I'm an adult woman in an adult relationship. I can handle this." Leslie takes a deep breath. "Nope, nope. I can't handle this. Let's go find them and see what they're doing." Leslie stands up suddenly looking frantic again.

"Leslie, no! We are not going to spy on your boyfriend." Ann gives her a stern look, but she knew she wouldn't be able to stop her friend.

"Oh, Ann. You beautiful wild flower basking in the sunlight. You would totally pass for a Bond girl and your first mission is to come help me spy on my boyfriend. Please, Ann, please? I'm going crazy just being here not knowing what's going on." Leslie begs her friend.

"Ok fine. But if something bad happens, remember that this was your idea."

 

************************

**Cut to One-on-One Interview with Ann:**

"I love Leslie and Ben, I secretly nicknamed them Benslie. I would definitely do anything to make sure they stay together." Ann smiles at the camera.

 Leslie's voice is heard off camera, "Ann, I know where they are. Let's GO!" Ann stumbles out of camera sight as she tries to catch up with Leslie.

 

**\- END SCENE -**


	3. What the Hell

**Outside** **the** **Fancy** **Restaurant** :

"Leslie, what are we doing here?" Ann whispers, crouching below a window to a fancy restaurant where Ben and his ex where having lunch.

"We are trying not to get caught. Now shush. I need you to take a quick look and see what's going on." Leslie whispers back to Ann.

"Ugh!" Ann stands up quickly and takes a glance at the customers inside the restaurant. She ducks under the window again.

"I can't find them."

"Do it again."

Ann tries again and this time she spots where they are seated. She sees them both stand up and she becomes transfixed as she watches Ben's ex lean over and give Ben a kiss. Ann lets out a surprised gasp.

Leslie looks up when she hears Ann sharp breath intake and notices her shocked face, "What's happening?" Leslie pulls on Ann's elbow trying to get her attention. She gets curious and decides to take a peek for herself.

Her jaw drops at the scene that unfolded in front of her. Right before her very eyes, she sees her boyfriend kissing the beautiful tall brunette that also happens to be his ex-girlfriend.  Her heart stops and it feels like someone threw a bucket of cold water at her.  Leslie goes back to hiding unable to watch Ben betray her and also unable to keep her balance and ends up falling on her back.

Ann sees Ben pull back from the kiss looking a little shocked. When she finally looks down, she finds Leslie lying on the ground. "Leslie, are you OK?" Ann crouches next to her friend, sounding concerned.

"I'm hurting, Ann." Leslie says dramatically.

"Where does it hurt?"

"In my heart. My heart hurts." Leslie closes her eyes and groans.

Ann rolls her eyes as she says, "Leslie, it was a goodbye kiss. I'm sure it meant nothing." Ann reassures her making sure Leslie doesn't see her roll her eyes.

"Goodbye kisses take a fraction of a second, Ann! That was at least a 5 second kiss and counting!"

"Ladies, are you OK?" The two girls look up to see a concerned stranger.

"We're fine. We'll be fine." Ann waves him away.

"No, we're not. I think I'm dying. Is this a heart attack? I'm having a heart attack. Ann, call 911."

A group of people are starting to gather around the two.

"We're fine everyone. There's nothing to see here. Please go." Ann tries to shoo the people away. She helps Leslie stand up and half drags her back to the car.

 

****************************  
**Cut to One-on-One Interview with an old passerby:**

"I think that brunette girl was trying to kill the blonde one." The old lady stares at the camera with a deadpan look on her face.

 

****************************  
**At Ann's Office:**

Leslie is curled up into a ball hiding under Ann's desk.

"Leslie, talk to me." Ann begs, but all she hears is Leslie groan. She has been hiding under there for almost an hour now.

A knock surprises Ann and she sees Ben at the door. "Oh my God… Leslie, it's Ben. Should I let him in?" Again all she heard was a groan. Ann heads to the door unable to ignore Ben as he looks at her through the glass pane.

"Hi Ann. Um, were you talking to yourself?"

"Yeah... I do that sometimes." Ann says slowly.

"Have you seen Leslie?"

"Uh, no. I haven't seen her. I don't know where she is."

"If you see her, can you let me know? I really, really need to talk to her."

"Go to hell, Ben!" Leslie suddenly yells from under the desk.

"Leslie?" Ben goes over to the Ann's desk and looks underneath.

"What are you doing under there?"

"I'm dying. Leave me alone."

Ben kneels next to her. "Leslie, I am so sorry about this morning. I couldn't say no when Chris asked me to take her to lunch."

"Oh yeah? Well, I guess you also couldn't say no when she kissed you, huh?"

"What?" Ben's jaw drops open and he starts to feel guilty, wondering how she found out about the kiss.

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you."

"It was... How did you... It meant nothing, Leslie." Ben places his hand on her arm, but Leslie quickly shrugs it off.

"Just get out!"

"Leslie..."

"Go away, Ben. I can't. I just can't right now." Leslie says with a shaky voice.

Ben hears Leslie softly whimper and his chest gets heavy. "No. No. No. We're going to talk about this now." He squeezes under Ann's desk lying face to face with Leslie. Cradling Leslie's face in his hands, he says heavily, "Please listen to me when I say that this is just a big misunderstanding. I, I couldn't tell her that I was dating you and she thought I was still single." He wipes away an un-shed tear that was forming under her eye. "Please, Leslie. It meant nothing."

“I don’t like her." Leslie whines softly. Ben smiles, he knows that Leslie is starting to calm down, he gives her a kiss which she passively receives. She’s still feeling a bit hurt by what she saw. He leans in better to kiss her again, deeper this time and it intensifies when Leslie finally returns the kiss. She momentarily forgets her jealousy and focuses on Ben's hungry kisses. His lips are so soft and tender, rendering Leslie weak in the knees. It’s a good thing she was already lying on the floor.

"Um, if you guys are going to full on make out under there, I'm just gonna leave for a few minutes..." Ann says as she quickly exits the room.

 

******************************  
Cut to One-on-One Interview with Leslie:**

"After making out with Ben for 30 minutes, I can safely conclude that Ben likes me more than his ex. And... that Amy is the spawn of Satan."

 

**-End Scene-**

  


	4. Let's Go

**At Parks and Recreation Department - Leslie's Office:**

Amy enters the room and smiles at Leslie. "Hi Leslie. Thank you for meeting with me." She sits down in front of Leslie's desk and brings out a binder that contains all of the wedding details that she is working on.

Leslie stares at the binder. Oh, _God... That's a beautiful binder._  She thinks to herself trying not to admire the woman in front of her. Leslie reaches  inside her drawer and also pulls out her own binder.  She places it meticulously on the table, straightening it out in the middle of her desk.

"Oh, you make binders too?" Amy says in delight.

"Yes. I consider myself to be skillful in the art of binding... Things. Paper." Leslie says trying to make it sound cool.

"Wow.  I also consider myself skillful in that area! I think we have a lot in common, Leslie Knope." Amy cheerfully announces.

"I think not." Leslie mutters under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Well, alright, where shall we start?"

"I was looking over the park details that you gave me for your top 10 pick. But I was really hoping that I could visit these parks with you and you could help me decide which one would be the best as a venue." Amy says giving Leslie a hopeful look.

"Oh, um, I'm not sure if I have the time today..." Leslie stalls trying to think of an excuse.  She was not prepared for this and had no immediate answer. 

"Please? You seem so passionate about the parks, I could read it through the email that you sent me. I would really love for you to accompany me. "

Leslie is mortified at the thought of spending time with her, but then it dawns on her that she can take this opportunity to learn more about Amy and Ben. "OK, sure."

Leslie follows Amy out the door, grabbing her bag as she takes a deep breath and finds the strength to go on a road trip with Ben's ex-lover.

Just as they were nearing the main door, Ben walks in and is surprised to see Amy and Leslie together.  His face looking from Amy to Leslie then Amy again.

"Benji!" Amy's face lights up.

"Ames."  Ben says her nickname by instinct.  Leslie raises her eyebrow at this and mentally notes to _discuss_ this with him about it tonight.  "Where are you guys heading to?"  He asks, unaware of Leslie's anger.

"Leslie was kind enough to join me and visit the different parks for the wedding venue."

Ben looks over at Leslie to see her lips form a tight smile. He can see that this is really uncomfortable for her.

Ben looks back at Amy and says, "Oh, I uh, wanted to talk to Leslie about something for a few minutes. But I can see you're in a hurry, so I'll just let you get to it." He turns to Leslie and says, "I will just, uh, text you what I wanted to talk to you about, Leslie."

Leslie nods, her eyebrows furrowed, suddenly curious at what Ben wanted to talk about.

"Alright, well, I'll see you later, Benji. Chris said that he reserved us a table at this new French restaurant down town. You can pick me up around 6?" Amy smiles at Ben and touches his arm.

Leslie's eyes widen at this news. "Oh, you have a date with each other? Tonight?" Leslie asks,  pointing her finger between Amy and Ben.  She makes a conscious effort to keep her smile in place, “Together?”

"Yes, um, I was actually going to talk to you about, um, something else unrelated to this date, which is why I was headed to your office." Ben says hinting to Leslie that he was here to tell her about it. "But you both look busy, so I'll just tell you about it at another time, Leslie. I'm sorry." Ben turns his back and quickly walks out the main door.

 

******************************

**Cut to One-on-One Interview with Leslie:**

"I'm gonna kill him." Leslie says with a straight face.

 

**-End Scene-**


	5. She's All That

**Inside Amy's Car:**

Leslie's phone keeps buzzing from all the text messages Ben kept sending.

"Are you going to reply to those messages?" Amy asks.

"No. They're not important." Leslie says through clenched teeth.

"Listen, I really appreciate you coming with me to all the parks. I think out of the ten, I may have chosen the park that we'll use as a venue."

"And we finished early enough for you to get back to your hotel and prepare for your date with Ben!" Leslie says trying to pry some information from Amy. "So you and Ben huh?"

"Oh... well, it's Chris's doing. Ben and I used to date back when they were staying in Indianapolis. But he moved around so much that our relationship couldn't keep up." Amy looks over to Leslie and notices her miserable face. "Leslie, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, shoot." Leslie says. She has been feeling depressed since finding out that Ben and Amy were going out on a date again. She was angry at first but the target of her anger was currently not present so that would have to be put on hold.

"Do you like Ben?"

Leslie chokes a little bit and coughs after hearing the question. She recovers in time to remember that they were dating in secret. "What? No. Feelings for the nerdy accountant?" Leslie lets out a snort, “God, no!”

"Leslie, I wasn't born yesterday. I know you like him. But I want to give you a fair warning though. I like him too. And I think his past feelings for me are resurfacing." Amy says with a confident tone.

Leslie raises her eyebrow. She stops herself from yelling that Ben likes her and that they had made out after breakfast before heading to work this morning. And that Amy can go suck it.

"I'm just telling you so that you don't get your hopes up. Ben and I have a long history. And we’ve stayed as friends even after we broke up.  I really think we can rekindle our relationship." Leslie turns her face towards the window and stares at the blurry objects that fly through her vision, trying to hide her face from Amy.  She bites her lip to prevent herself from saying anything stupid.

“He even recommended that I stay longer here in Pawnee so we can hangout more and so, I could see how special this town is.”

Amy doesn’t realize how her words are affecting Leslie.   “Uh huh.” Is the only reply that Leslie can come up with.  Leslie thought she would get the 411 of their past relationship, not the 411 of what Amy was planning to do to get back together with him.  She's only been with Ben for four weeks, it was nothing compared to years' worth or memories that Amy and Ben shared.

“I don’t know why I’m telling you all this,” Amy laughs nervously. She suspects she’s saying all this to Leslie because she doesn’t believe that Leslie is telling the truth when she says she doesn’t like Ben.  She wanted to make sure that Leslie would not get in the way of her plan to reconnect with Ben.

They reach the entrance of City Hall and Amy drops off Leslie. "Bye and thank you again, Leslie. You're the best." Amy smiles, unaware of the mixed emotions she was causing Leslie to have.

Standing at the entrance of City Hall, Leslie looks down on her phone and hits reply to one of Ben's messages. ' _Please tell me you can get out of this date with Amy.'_

The phone buzzes and she reads Ben's reply. ' _I can't get out of it without making Chris suspicious... I'm really sorry, Leslie.'_

Leslie sighs and decides to head back home instead, she didn't feel like working or talking to anyone for the rest of the day. She glances at the camera with a deflated look and then heads to her car.

**-END SCENE**


	6. All Apologies

**At Leslie's House:**

Ben knocks persistently on Leslie's door. "Leslie, I know you're in there." He presses the doorbell a couple of times. "I'll break down this door if I have to." He warns as he continues knocking.

Leslie drags herself out of the couch still wrapped in a quilt and opens the door. "First of all, you can't possibly break my door down even if you wanted to. Ron made it and I'm sure nothing in this world can break it. Second of all, I am not really in the mood to talk. Last but certainly not the least, I'm not really in the mood to talk." Leslie turns her back on him and walks back to the couch. Ben follows behind her.

Ben sits on the corner of the couch and pulls Leslie towards him.  Leslie slides her legs on Ben's lap and rests her head on his chest, he wraps his arms around her and buries his face in her hair. They always loved cuddling in this position.  Leslie couldn't stay angry at Ben.  She spent all evening thinking about all the things she wanted to say but in the end she knew this whole thing wasn't his fault.

"I'm so sorry." Ben says softly, kissing her on top of her head.

"This is a nightmare, Ben. I don't think I can take it if you have another  _date_  with Amy."

"I've told Chris to stop setting up any more dates for me. This should be the last one."

"By the way, Amy wants to get back with you. She basically told me today that she wants to _rekindle_ ," Leslie lifts one hand to do an air quotation mark gesture, "your romantic relationship."

"I know.  She brought it up during dinner.  I made it clear to her that I just wanted to be friends." Ben assures her. "Which she then proceeded to ask if I was in a relationship with you. And I convincingly denied. And then I ate really fast and headed straight here."

"Ugh, we are so screwed and going to get fired if she tells Chris."

"I'd like to think that I lied to her pretty well."

"Don't be so sure, Ben. You are the worst liar I know." Leslie declares. "You stutter and you can't make up the next words to say and you never look straight in the eyes and you change the subject to something so unrelated."

"Yeah... You're right. I think we're fucking screwed then." Ben says making Leslie laugh. "I guess we'll have to make this night memorable, seeing that it could be our last..." Ben gives her a quick kiss.

_Mmm..._  The sound comes out of Leslie after the sweet short kiss. "Do it again."

"Oh, you liked that, huh?" Ben teases as he kisses her again.

"Well, I can't really tell. I think it should last longer than a second."

Ben's hand slides to the back of Leslie's head as he pulls her closer to him for a deeper kiss. Exploring her mouth with his tongue and making Leslie's stomach flutter. After what felt like minutes, Leslie pulls away, her face red from the heat of their kiss.

"Oh yeah. That was way better. I like what you do with your tongue, mister." She laughs and gives him another short kiss.

"I've been practicing." Ben declares proudly, giving her one of his quirky grins.

"Really? With whom?" Leslie teases arching her eyebrow.

"Oh, just some blonde girl I met in a Star Wars convention." Leslie laughs and kisses him again. Their kiss turns from playful into a frenzied one.

"You want to continue this in the bedroom?" Leslie asks with a hoarse voice. She is clearly flustered by their passionate kisses.

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah." Ben slides his arm under Leslie's knees and scoops her up. They start kissing passionately again as he carries her to the bedroom, his lips never leaving hers.

He places her on the bed and starts taking off his jacket. Leslie is unbuttoning his shirt and pulling on his tie. He gets on top of her and starts undoing his belt. He stops and sighs when he suddenly remembers something.

Ben pulls away for a second and heads to the door. He looks at the camera somewhere outside of the bedroom, gives it a what-the-hell look as if to warn the cameraman not to continue filming and slams the door.

**-END SCENE-**


	7. Here We Go Again

 

**At Leslie's House:**

"Hey." Ben gives Leslie a quick kiss as she enters the dining room. "I went out to grab some waffles at JJ's and a can of whip cream at Food and Stuff." He presents both items in his hands to Leslie.

"Yay! Best boyfriend ever!" Leslie grins and gives Ben another kiss. "Andy and April didn't wonder where you were last night?" Leslie places the food on top of the table.

"Sadly, they don't seem to really notice if I'm home or not..." Ben says looking morose. He watched in amazement as Leslie opened the styro box, uncapped the whip cream and sprayed her waffles for a good minute before taking a bite of it.

"Awww. Don't feel bad. Those two are always in their own bubble." Leslie says with her mouth full.

"Hey, speaking of feeling bad..." Ben says, in a fast pace. "Uh- while you were sleeping, Amy called, asking me to help with the wedding and she hired me to be the DJ in the ceremony and reception. And. And I couldn't really think of a good excuse to say no. And... I might have said yes. Isn't that funny? " He gives a fake laugh pretending that it was funny story.

Leslie gives him the evil eye. "So, you have to spend a lot of time with her and I would have to be OK with that?"

"Yes?..." Ben asks in a soft voice.

"So, the wake-up sex and the food is what? Your way of bribing me to be OK with this?"

"The food is. But the sex was just for me." Ben says coyly, kissing Leslie again to distract her and in the process getting some whipped cream in his mouth.

"Do you have to do it?" Leslie whines and gives him a pout.

"You're so cute when you're jealous. Look, you have nothing to worry about. I'm with you." Ben gives her another kiss to prove a point.

"But not out there, Ben. We're not together outside of this house..."

"You make a good point. But I've already told her that I'm not interested in getting back together with her so, again nothing to worry about. This is just a friend helping a friend out."

Leslie groans. "I trust you. But I don't trust her. And you have to accept that. I don't think she and I will ever be friends. And I seriously think she is related to Satan."

Ben kisses her to end the argument. "That's a nice suit, by the way."

Leslie kisses him back. "That's a nice tie." She pulls on his tie.

"You have a nice face." Ben kisses her again, open mouthed this time.

"You have a nice butt." Leslie slides her hand behind Ben, starts caressing his ass and she pulls him closer to her, their face almost touching.

Ben takes a lock of her wavy blonde hair and twirls it around his finger. "We have to stop this or we'll never make it to work on time." He kisses her one last time, pulls away and looks at her longingly. Then abruptly turns his back on Leslie and heads towards the door.

"Hmmm, looking good, Wyatt." Leslie says staring at Ben's butt.

 

*******************

**Cut to One-on-One Interview with Leslie:**

"I'm fine... It'll be fine... I trust Ben. Not freaking out here." Leslie forces a smile and takes a bite of her waffle.

 

**-END SCENE-**


	8. Who Let the Dogs Out

**At Ben's House:**

Ben unlocks the door to his house that he shares with Andy and April.

He is greeted with a very confusing scene in the living room. Andy and April are on the couch with two really big dogs sitting on the floor. Granted there is nothing weird about that, but what really catches Ben's attention is seeing April's weird friend, Orin, also siting on the floor wearing a dog costume. Ben glances at the camera with an I-have-no-idea-what-is-happening look on his face.

"Hi Ben!" Andy yells in his usual innocent cheery voice. "April and I are dog sitting."

*****************

**Cut to One-on-One Interview with Ben:**

"Sometimes, it's just best not to ask for more information..." Ben says with a shrug.

*****************

**Back to Ben's House:**

Ben is at the kitchen with a beer on his hand waiting for Amy to arrive. They had planned to talk about the music set list for the wedding for an hour before he headed to Leslie's house. The doorbell startles the dogs and they start running towards it. Ben had to push his way through them to try and open the door.

He hears Amy's startled yelp as the two dogs tackle her to the floor. They start licking her and Amy is doing her best to get away from under them. "No! Ben, help!"

Ben reacts instinctively. He had forgotten that Amy is very allergic to dogs. Deathly allergic. He lifts her off the floor and plants her on a chair away from the dogs reach. "Where's your meds?" He asks with a panicked voice looking around for her purse. Andy and April had rushed to the entrance and each took a hold of the dogs' collars.

"I didn't bring them with me! They're in the hotel!" Amy's breathing starts to get heavy and rapid. Ben sees the allergic reaction is now in effect. He scoops her in his arms and starts running towards his car. "Andy, call Ann! Tell her I'm on my way to the hospital and I have a patient with a deadly allergic reaction." He yells back to Andy while running. Ben somehow gets her to the passenger seat of his car. He hurries to the driver's seat and starts the car. He steps on the gas and heads to the hospital praying that he'll get there in time.

"Who was that?" Andy asks April in wonderment.

"I think she's going to die." April says, she glances at the camera, trying to control her excitement, her lips forming a small smile.

*****************

**At Leslie's Office:**

Leslie's phone rings. She glances at it and sees Ann's name on the caller ID. "Leslie Knope here, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation, how can I help my beautiful best friend, Ann?" She says cheerfully.

"Leslie! It's Ben, he's in the hospital."

"What?! Is he OK? Is his face OK? I'll be there in 5 minutes!" Leslie says in one breath.

"Wait, no. Ben is OK. It's Amy..."

Leslie gasps and half whispers, "Noooo... Is she dead?" Leslie looks at the camera with a guilty face. She remembers how she was wishing Amy dead during her commute to work.

"No! It's just a really bad allergic reaction."

"Is she going to die?"

"No, Leslie. Oh my God..."

"I'm sorry! It's just, Ben is hanging out with her allllll the time!" Leslie whines on the phone.

"Anyway, I just thought I'd call you to let you know. I have to go check on her now."

"Nooo, now even my best friend is hanging out with her!"

"Bye, Leslie."

Leslie pouts at her phone. She notices the voice mail icon and taps on it.

"Hey. It's Ben. Um, I'm at the hospital. But I'm OK. It's, uh, it's Amy. She had a really bad allergic reaction. So, I'm going to be here for a while. I'll text you if I have time to stop by your house tonight. OK, uh, bye. Call me. Or not. Or yeah, call me, if, if you want to..."

Leslie stares at her phone.  _This is really starting to get annoying_ , Leslie thought.

*****************

**Cut to One-on-One Interview with Leslie:**

"Ben and I have been secretly dating for a month now. It's our first secret monthsary. I had a surprise for him tonight..." Leslie says looking really annoyed and disappointed. "Ugh, I better cancel that lightsaber show..."

**-END SCENE-**


	9. Big Ben

**At Leslie's House:**

Leslie opens the door as she hears Ben's car park in front of her house. She received his text earlier and she had been waiting for him. She glances at her watch, it was almost midnight.

"Hey." Ben says giving Leslie a peck in the cheek.

"Hey." Leslie replies. She follows Ben to the couch and watches him slump down. She sits next to him, getting into their favorite comfortable position.

"I'm sorry it's so late. I just got back from dropping off Amy." Ben sees Leslie raise her eyebrow. "Nothing happened. I opened the door to the car and pushed her out." Ben says sarcastically.

"Well I'm glad she's OK. It means that you don't have to spend all day with her tomorrow. Now, the important question is, do you want some cake?"

"Why do you have cake?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked... We've been dating for a month now and I wanted to celebrate. I call it our first secret monthsary. I even had a surprise for you."

"Aww, that's really sweet, Leslie." He gives her a kiss. "Happy first monthsary." Leslie smiles at hearing Ben use her made-up word.

"Yeah, I hired lightsaber performers," Leslie says trying to make Ben imagine what he missed, "Which I had to cancel. And, I also rented a Princess Leia costume."

"Oh, really?" Ben is disappointed and feels bad that Leslie wasn't able to give her surprise. He is most disappointed that he won't get to see her fulfill one of his sexual fantasies. "Um, do you... Did you return the costume?" He asks, pretending it wasn't a big deal.

"Give me 10 minutes." Leslie says with a laugh. She is ecstatic that she didn't return it yet and they could still celebrate their first month of dating.

********************

**Cut to One-on-One Interview with Ben:**

"Leslie is awesome." Ben glances at the bedroom, impatient to see her in the costume. "It's every sci-fi fan's dream." He says, biting his lip in anticipation.

********************

**15 Minutes Later:**

"Close your eyes." Leslie yells from the bedroom. Ben happily obliges. She walks out of the room, wearing the long white Princess Leia dress complete with the hood. "Alright, you can open them now." She strikes a pose with her hands on her hips. "I'm sorry I didn't get the sexy bikini one." She looks at Ben and tries not to laugh as she sees him staring at her with a dopey surprised look on his face.

"This is the sexy one and it's really turning me on, Leslie." He declares with a heavy breath. He takes a few big steps to close the gap between them. Leslie is immediately entangled in his arms with Ben pressing himself against her in a tight embrace. He slides his hand behind her head and pulls her face towards him, getting more aroused as his fingers run through Leslie's blonde hair. His lips are on hers with such a powerful kiss that it feels like Ben was kissing the life out of Leslie. She reciprocates with the same hunger, marveling at Ben's soft lips pressed against hers. Also, she is wondering how a long dress like this could turn Ben on. But she quickly dismisses those thoughts as she slides her palms on Ben's ass.

Leslie switches her focus on his lips, flicking her tongue on the bottom one and giving it playful bites. But Ben wasn't in the mood for soft sweet kisses. He takes control again and gives Leslie a deep kiss that sends hot sensations all the way to her toes. Her ears are ringing as Ben attacks her senses with his tongue and his groping hands running all over her body.

Leslie leads them both into the bedroom, with her foot kicking the door close as they both enter. Ben is still transfixed with kissing her and never stops even as they both stumble on the bed together. Leslie tries to take off her costume and Ben holds her hand to stop her. "Leave it on," Ben says with a gruff voice and then continues to ravage her mouth, his hands roaming around her body, driving Leslie crazy.

********************

**A few minutes later...**

Ben and Leslie are cuddle under the bed covers.  They are both about to fall asleep when Ben's lazy voice cuts the silence.  "Is there any chance that you can keep this dress?" Ben asks and smiles as Leslie laughs out loud.

"I'm sure big ben would like that." Leslie snorts as she says the nickname she gave Ben's manhood, a name which he highly approved of.

**-END SCENE-**


	10. The Ultimatum

**At City Hall:**

Leslie rounds the corner and suddenly stops when she sees Ben and Amy talking in front of Ben's office. She takes a couple of steps back and is about to return to her office, but curiosity gets the best of her.

She presses herself to the wall pretending to read the papers she is holding but is really more interested in watching Ben and Amy. She is pretty sure she couldn't be seen at the angle she is standing at.

She sees Amy's hand land on Ben's chest, laughing at something he said. Ben gives her a goofy grin and continues talking.  _God, she really knows how to use her charm…_ Leslie thinks, getting a little riled up that Ben seems to be enjoying her attention.

They are still talking when Ben suddenly reaches towards Amy's face and picks off something under Amy's eye. He shows Amy his fingers holding an invisible object, that Leslie can only assume was an eyelash.

Leslie's heart beats rapidly and her stomach starts to feel queasy.  _That dirty bastard was using the same moves he tried on me when we were on a road trip to Indianapolis!_ In the back of her mind, she knows that Ben's actions were innocent but she was too mad to acknowledge it. She remembers how she felt when Ben did that to her and she is pretty sure that Amy would also have the same fluttery feeling in her gut by now too.

Amy reaches out to re-arrange Ben's hair, parting it in the middle.  _What the hell was Amy doing messing with Ben's hair. Everyone knows it looks better parted on the side. Was this something friends do? I do that with Ann, sure, but I can't imagine touching Ron's hair at all._ Leslie cringes at the mental image of her touching Ron's head.

Now, Amy is fixing Ben's tie and dusting an invisible fleck off of Ben's jacket.  _As if his tie wasn't already straight. She's just figuring out ways to get her dirty paws on Ben!_ Leslie doesn't notice that she is clutching on to her papers too tightly.  _Are they always like this to each other when they were out on their dates?_

Ben looks at his watch and it looks like he's saying good bye. Amy leans over to Ben, like she's about to give him a goodbye kiss on the lips, but Ben turns his face in time for the kiss to land on his cheeks.

It didn't matter to Leslie that Ben tried to avoid the kiss. All she saw was her boyfriend getting kissed by his ex-girlfriend... Again.

Leslie has had it with this annoying situation. She knows she is always going to feel annoyed and jealous unless Ben stops hanging out with Amy. She is starting to get angry that Ben can't see what Amy is trying to do.

Her reaction suddenly turns to a panic when she realizes that Amy was heading towards Leslie's direction. It was too late to run or hide and she pretends to be surprised when Amy sees her.

"Amy! What are you doing here?" Looking more panicked than surprised, Leslie tries to figure out what to do with her hands. One second she is holding the papers in front of her, the next she is placing her hands on her hips, and then finally decides to drape one hand on her shoulder.

"You alright there, Leslie?" Amy asks looking at Leslie try pull off an awkward pose that is normally seen on high fashion magazines.

"Yes, just doing some stretches."

"Right... Well, I was just here to talk to Ben. Heading out to meet my clients now, we still have so many things to do before the wedding." Amy smiles sweetly at Leslie, patting her binder full of wedding preparation details.

Leslie smiles back, unsure if it looked real or fake, half not caring what Amy thinks anymore. Leslie starts walking to Ben's office once Amy is out of sight.

She knocks rapidly and opens the door without waiting to hear Ben's voice telling her to enter. Ben looks up in surprise and his face lights up with a smile when he realizes it's Leslie. "Hey."

"We need to talk. Ann's office. Now." Leslie turns her back and storms out.

Ben gaze follows Leslie's retreating figure and then he glances at the camera looking like a lost boy unsure of what to do.

*********************

**At Ann's Office:**

Ben enters a few seconds after Leslie enters. She is standing with both hands on her hips, her hand still holding the now crumpled pieces of paper.

"What's going on?" Ben asks cautiously.

"Oh, I don't know, Ben? You tell me. I just saw you and Ames hanging out again" Leslie says heatedly.

"Yeah, she came by my office to talk about the music set list for the wedding." Ben explains.

"Why is she so touchy with you, huh? Talking about set lists doesn't need to involve hair fixing." Leslie reaches out to Ben's hair and sweeps it back to the side with her fingers roughly that Ben had to step back a little.

"What the hell is going on, Leslie?" Ben takes her hand and gives her a genuinely confused look.

Leslie retrieves her hand sharply. "God, you can be so obtuse!" Leslie hits his chest with the crumpled papers. "I don't want you to hang out with Amy anymore!"

"She's just a friend, Leslie. I've said it a thousand times." Ben sighs looking exasperated. "This irrational jealousy is unnecessary."

"She's unnecessary!" Leslie says in high pitch voice.  Ben starts to get a little worked up on how Leslie was being really stubborn.  When something gets stuck to her head, it was really hard to get her to listen.

"What do you want me to do, Leslie?" Ben asks sounding a little angry. "You want me talk to Amy and tell her what?" Ben takes a step towards her making Leslie take a step back. "Oh hey, Amy, I'm sorry we can't hang out anymore, you're making my secret girlfriend jealous." Ben says sarcastically.

"I don't care what you say! Just tell her to get the hell out of Pawnee!"

"Leslie, listen to yourself."

"No, you listen to yourself!" Leslie retorts. "Why can't you tell her to leave? Is it because you love it when she throws herself at you?"

"She's not throwing herself at me."

"Oh my God, Ben! You are so dense." Leslie raises her hands, "You know what, don't bother. Don't bother talking to me until you get your act together."

She walks past him and exits the office, slamming the door behind her.

"Leslie!" Ben yells after her. He stares at the closed door, biting his lips in frustration.

"Well that was awkward..." Ben jumps as he hears Ann's voice breaking the silence. He had been unaware that she was in the room the whole time. He gives her a chagrined look and quickly leaves her office.

 *********************    **  
**

**Cut to One-on-One Interview with Ann:**

"Oh my God! That was intense." Ann says feeling overwhelmed. "I didn't mean to spy on them but they just started yelling the second the door was closed. I was frozen on the spot, you know." Ann explains. "Ben is such an ass. I have to go find Leslie."

 

**-END SCENE-**


	11. The Sound of Silence

**At the City Hall Courtyard:**

Leslie is sitting at one of the tables near the corner of the courtyard. She is holding a fork on one hand and a pen on the other, writing notes on a post it in one of the pages of the binder she has in front of her. Ben enters the courtyard and sees her. He beelines to her table determined to get Leslie to talk to him.

"Hey." Ben says as he sits down in front of Leslie but she doesn't look up at all. "Leslie..." Ben says trying to catch her attention. Leslie remains silent, continuing to read her binder. "Look, I know yesterday we had that argument and I'm sorry. Can we talk about it so we can make up and make out? I miss you..." Ben says, sounding miserable.

Leslie continues to ignore him. She takes a stab at her mac and cheese and eats a forkful. Ben starts to get annoyed with how stubborn Leslie is. He hardly got any sleep last night trying to figure out how to get Leslie to talk to him.  She didn't reply to any of his texts and he ended up leaving a dozen voicemails when she wouldn't answer his calls. 

"Are we on a break?" Ben asks, his voice hesitant and filled with fear. Leslie pauses from chewing her food and he feels hopeful. But she continues to chew after a few seconds. "Leslie, I swear to God, I'm going to grab your face and kiss you here in public." Ben tries to threaten her. Still nothing.   _Good Lord, my girlfriend is stubborn._

"Fine, you won't talk to me as your boyfriend? Then you can talk to me as your boss." Ben declares, mentally praising himself for thinking about this. 

Leslie puts her fork down, tightens her grip on her pen and puts on a fake smile as she turns her head to face Ben. "What can I help you with, Ben?" Ben's heart gets heavy, suddenly regretting his move. He really hated that Leslie was really angry at him. But his hands are tied behind his back. What she wanted was not something that could easily be done without hurting an innocent person. He wanted her to realize it but she was too stubborn to see it.

"Do you have the budget proposal for the Pawnee Kite Competition?" It was the first thing Ben could think of that was work related.

"That's not until three months from now."

"Well... I want to see the budget proposal by the end of the day." Ben says. taking his anger out on this request. Leslie stares at him with flared nostrils. She knows Ben is trying to get a rise out of her. But she made up her mind that she wouldn't engage until he admits that she is right and that he is wrong.

"Fine. I'll have it on your desk by the end of the day." She slams her binder close, stands up and with one last angry glare, she turns her back and leaves him sitting alone. Ben stares after her, watching her walk away.  It took every ounce of his self-control not to run after her.  Angry Leslie was turning him on a little bit and he was half afraid that if he chased after her, he would try to kiss her in public. He sighs heavily thinking that this is not how he planned this conversation would go. He is so upset that he doesn't even notice that he has started eating Leslie's leftover mac and cheese.

 

****************************

**Cut to One-on-One with Leslie:**

"Ben is a doodoohead!"

 

****************************

**Cut to One-on-One with Ben:**

"She called me a what?"

 

**-END SCENE-**

 


	12. The Fight Part 2

**At Leslie's Office:**

Ben knocks on Leslie's office door. Leslie looks up from her computer and is caught off guard seeing Ben leaning on the door post.  _Damn, he looks really hot today_ , Leslie thought.  He is wearing the green plaid shirt that she really liked on him.  One that she also liked taking off of him…

"Hey." Ben gives her a smile, hoping she had finally forgiven him.  "Are you still mad?" Ben asks, sitting on the chair next to the door.

She almost forgets how angry she was as she missed him desperately but she recovers from her daydream and takes on a serious mood, "What can I help you with, Mr. Wyatt?"

"Seriously?" Ben gives her an exasperated look. "You need to stop this right now, Leslie. It's getting really childish. You probably don't even remember why you were so mad in the first place."

"I know exactly why I'm angry and why I'm not speaking to you." Leslie says. She breaks her silent treatment of Ben so she could defend herself. "Tell me, Ben. When was the last time you saw Amy?" Ben goes quiet and Leslie smiles smugly.

"Leslie, this is about us. Why can't you trust me?"

"Oh my God, Ben. We've already been through this. Amy. Still. Loves. You."

"Leslie, you are being unreasonable. Again."

"I'm unreasonable? I spelled it out pretty clearly, Ben!" Leslie starts yelling.

"Well you need to spell check it, Leslie!" Ben yells back.

"My spelling is impeccable!" Leslie suddenly stands, places her hands on her desk and leans towards Ben. "How dare you question my spelling!" Ben was really unsure of where this conversation was heading to and how it even got to this point, but he was getting really annoyed with Leslie always wanting to be right.

"Sometimes. Just sometimes, does it ever occur to you, that you might be, oh, I don't know, wrong?" Ben is now standing and pointing his finger at Leslie.

"Wrong? Me? NEVER!" Leslie swats Ben's finger away. Ben lifts his finger to point at her again and Leslie slaps it to the side.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! What is going on?" Ron's voice cuts the argument between Leslie and Ben. They both looked surprised to see him in the room. Leslie glances behind Ron to see everyone in the office looking at them.

"We're done here." Leslie glares at Ben.

Ben looks at Ron, "I'm... I'm sorry." He looks embarrassed and he walks out of the office quickly with his head down, ignoring the rest of the Parks and Rec employees who were obviously eavesdropping. 

Ron turns back to Leslie, "What is going on, woman? I thought that you guys were friends?"

"Well it turns out that he's friends with everybody."

"What does that even mean?"

"It's nothing." Leslie mumbles.

"Get it together, Leslie. That was your boss that you just yelled at and I do not want you getting fired for it." Ron doesn't budge until she nods her head.

"Yeah, whatever."

****************************

**At Ben's Office:**

Ben is back in his office, he's staring at the computer screen. His mind still in the argument. He is really miserable and he can't believe he just had a yelling match with her in public. He takes a deep breath and decides to fix to the situation, it was really getting out of hand. He was really close to grabbing Leslie and kissing her on the spot. He misses her so much that he didn't care that he would probably get fired for it.

The wedding that Amy was working on happened yesterday, but Amy is staying behind trying to see if Pawnee was something she could call home. He had been helping her feel comfortable with the town. He really didn't know what was wrong with that, but if Leslie wanted him to stop spending time with Amy, then that's what he was going to do.  He is now willing to try anything to make Leslie start talking to him again.

 _'Hey, can we talk?'_  Ben texts Amy.

Amy replies after a few minutes. _'Yeah, you wanna get some drinks at a bar after work?_  '

_'OK. Pick you up at 6.'_

 

**\- END SCENE -**

 


	13. Who's That Girl?

**At the Snakehole Lounge:**

Amy and Ben are sitting next to each other in front of the bar. Ben with his lite beer and Amy with a cocktail of some sort. They'd been talking for a few minutes now and Ben has been trying to think of how to start the conversation of him not hanging out with her anymore. He hoped that a few more drinks would give him the courage to end their friendship. Amy was a sweet girl and he knew that she would feel bad if he told her that they couldn't spend time with each other anymore.

 

************************

**At one of the tables in the Snakehole Lounge:**

"Ben is a jerk." Leslie declares drunkenly. Ann had suggested that they get drunk when Leslie told her what happened with her and Ben earlier in the office.

"He is. He is. I completely and bestfriendly agree that he is." Ann says after downing another shot.

"He thinks that just because he's cute and he has a cute butt that I will back down?" Leslie slurs her words.

"No! Never back down, Leslie! NEVER!" Ann yells it like a battle cry. She raises her glass to Leslie.

"Just because I miss him so badly and that every time I see him I just want to make out with him and take him somewhere private and have my way with him..." Leslie goes silent and stares blankly as her imagination starts running.

"Leslie. Leslie. Be strong." Ann cups her face in her hand and breaks her day dream. "You are a strong lion. There are many cuter butts out there."

"But I only want Ben's butt..." Leslie whines. She puts her head on Ann's shoulder and starts bawling. Ann tries her best to comfort her best friend. She knows how much Leslie likes Ben and she was really angry that Ben wasn't doing much to fix this problem. "Leslie, stop crying. If he doesn't see that Amy is ruining your relationship and if he doesn't do anything about it then he can go kiss his own butt."

"Am I being unreasonable, Ann? Should I just sit here and let Amy steal my boyfriend right from under my nose?" Leslie looks at Ann teary-eyed. "Am I too paranoid and is she really just a nice girl that just wants to be friends with Ben?" Ann rubs Leslie's back, letting her rant, too drunk to give a sound advice, just making sure that Leslie drinks her beer.

Ann glances around the bar looking for a waiter to refill their drinks. She freezes when she sees Ben and Amy. "Oh God!" Leslie looks up and sees Ann staring wide-eye across the room. She looks over and sees Ben and Amy sitting awfully close to each other.

 

************************

**Back in Ben's corner:**

"Amy, listen... It's been really fun catching up with you. But, um. We need to talk about the future of this friendship..."

"I completely agree!" Amy says, delighted that they were finally going to talk about their future.

"I think we should stop hanging out." Ben says at the same time as Amy blurts out, "I think we should be more than friends again."

They both look surprised and ask each other in unison, "What?"

Ben starts talking first motivated to clear up what he meant. "It was really nice to see you again and you have always been a good friend. But I'm seeing someone. I really like her and she's funny and sometimes scary and most of the time sweet and she's not comfortable with me hanging out with you a lot." Ben says, hoping that he was making sense.

"I still love you, Ben." Amy says desperately. "Whoever it is you're seeing, it can't be serious. You won't even tell me who she is. You've never even mention her whenever we go out!" Amy moves closer to him. "I think we can rekindle our romance."

Ben is mortified at her confession. Leslie had been right all along. Amy still wanted to get back together even when he told her that they could just be friends at the start. He berated himself mentally and now all he wanted to do was go find Leslie and apologize. Amy seeing the display of emotions on Ben's face mistakes it for his realization that he loves her too. She leans in and kisses him deeply. Ben is frozen on the spot too surprised and too drunk to react properly, which is the only reason that the kiss took longer than it should. Long enough for Ann and Leslie to see from across the room.

"BENJAMIN WYATT! YOU ARE DEAD TO ME!" Leslie's voice rings out above the music. Ben looks at their direction, his jaw falls open when he sees Leslie and Ann. He jumps up and tries make his way to their table, leaving a confused Amy behind. Leslie sees him heading over and she stands and pulls Ann with her trying to get away.

As he closes the gap, Ann stands in between him and Leslie. "NO! Stay away from her, Ben!" She gives Ben a push and follows Leslie out of the bar.

"Ben, what's going on?" Amy asks standing at his side, she tries to take Ben's hand, but Ben instinctively pulls it back.

"Amy. No, no more touching. No more kissing. I'm sorry. I'm not in love with you. I just wanted to be friends." Ben says running his hand through his hair. "This is all just one big mess now." He puts his palm on his forehead. "And I think now, we can't be friends at all." Amy looks crushed, she is not expecting that Ben would reject her.

Ben leaves the bar and grabs a taxi, determined to find Leslie and beg for her forgiveness.

 

************************

**The next morning…**

**At some Hotel Room:**

Ben opens his eyes and a sudden wave of pounding headache hits him. His hand immediately reaches for his head as he tries to massage the pain away. He groans and starts to realize that he doesn't know where he is. He is on someone's unfamiliar bed. He starts noticing bits and pieces, like the fact that he is shirtless and possibly bottomless too... He looks to his side and notices a lump under the comforter. He had no idea who was under there as it was completely covered. He was about to take a peek, desperately hoping it was Leslie, when the phone on the dresser next to him starts vibrating. He picks it up and squints as he tries to read the caller ID.

"Leslie..." He reads the name on his phone out loud. His blood freezes over. The realization of Leslie calling him on the phone, makes him panic as he wonders who is the person sleeping beside him.

**-END SCENE-**


	14. Back at One

**At an unknown hotel room:**

Ben answers the phone. Relief washes over him when Ann's voice comes on. He looks over to the lump beside him and he pulls down the covers enough to see a few blonde hair tumble out. He had never been this happy to see blonde hair before. "Why do you have Leslie's phone?" Ben whispers trying not to wake Leslie up.

"She left it with me. Is she with you? I can't contact her and she is not in her house."

"Yes, she's with me."

"Okay, well I'm not really sure what happened last night. But I'm glad she's with you and now I can stop worrying. Tell her to call me when she's lucid."

Ben hangs up and falls back into bed very much happy that he didn't make the biggest mistake in his love life by sleeping with another woman while they were on a break. He has no recollection of what happened last night. The last thing he remembers is him knocking on Leslie's door. He rolls to his side and gets inside the covers to check on Leslie. She is sleeping and slightly snoring and he smiles at how peaceful she looks. He gives her a soft kiss on the head, lingering for a few seconds to breathe in the scent of her hair.  He decides to get up and take a shower and figure out where the hell they were.

 

*****************************

**After a few minutes:**

Ben gets out of the shower, his bottom half wrapped in a towel. He is surprised to see Leslie sitting up, holding the comforter tightly pressed over her chest to cover herself. She looks surprised to see him too. "Where are we?"  Her voice is hoarse.

"No idea..."

"Did we...?"

"I think so..."

Leslie goes quiet. Ben isn't sure if he should get on the bed or leave her alone. He assumed that they had made up last night, but since he couldn't remember he didn't want to risk her getting mad again. "Listen, I don't remember much of last night. But what I do know is that I left the bar looking for you so that I could apologize and beg you to forgive me. You were right about Amy and that I was too stupid to see it. So, I told her that we couldn't be friends and she kissed me to make me change my mind but I didn't kiss her back."

"I don't remember much of anything too..." Leslie says hesitantly, "but I feel like I wouldn't be here if I hadn't forgiven you. So I guess I forgave you?" Ben gives her a small smile and goes over to her to give her a kiss.

Leslie puts her hand out to stop him. "But we need to figure out or at least remember what happened last night before we, we completely get back to where we were before."

"That sounds fair." Ben says. "I'm gonna put some clothes on, you can take your shower and then we can figure it out during breakfast." He was a little disappointed that Leslie stopped him but he would respect her wish.

Leslie watches Ben put his clothes on and he goes over to the living room area to give her some privacy. It took a whole lot of self-discipline on her part to not jump out of the bed and jump in his arms. But Leslie wanted to figure out what happened last night before she was willing to open up again. She still felt hurt and angry so she wasn't super convinced that she had forgiven Ben.

She joins Ben in the living room after showering and getting dressed. She sits on the other side of the couch and Ben looks up when he notices her. "So, from what I've figured, we are in a honeymoon suite..." Ben gives her a mischievous look.

"How convenient..." Leslie says trying not to laugh.

"Wait, do you think we got married?" Ben asks looking horrified.

"What? No... I don't think so. Oh my God, I hope not."

There was a knock on the door which startles Leslie. "I ordered us some breakfast." Ben gets up and opens the door. Their breakfast is wheeled in by what Ben assumes was the manager of the hotel and Leslie suddenly feels hungry from the smell that fills the room.

"Here you go, Mr. and Mrs. Knope. Hope you enjoy your breakfast and stay here at Eagleton Prime Hotel. Congratulations again." The manager takes his leave after that announcement leaving a speechless Ben and Leslie behind.

Leslie breaks the silence and starts laughing, clutching her stomach as her laughter changes to a full blown cackle. "How the hell did we end up in Eagleton?" Ben looks at her as if she'd gone crazy. Leslie is now laughing so hard that there are tears in her eyes. Ben smiles and also starts laughing. Leslie's laugh is contagious. He opens the breakfast tray and brings a plate to Leslie. It was a plate with piles of waffles. Ben is happy that Leslie is now in a good mood. He sits next to her with his plate of bacon and eggs. Leslie leans on his chest as she munches on her waffle. Ben relaxes happy to be cuddling with Leslie again.

Ben kisses the top of her head. "I missed you, Babe." His words make Leslie's heart beats faster. She had missed Ben too and had been really miserable during the days they were fighting.

"I'm sorry I acted really crazy." Leslie says softly. "I don't think I'll remember what happened last night, but I feel a little better now and this feels right." Leslie looks up and looks into his eyes. "I've been miserable for the past few days and I don't want to go through that again."

Ben smiles sweetly and gives her a kiss. "I'm sorry that I didn't believe you." He puts his plate down and wraps his arms around her. "Let's never fight again." Leslie offers her waffle to him and he takes a bite. "Is this a peace offering?"

"Enjoy it while you can. I only share on special occasions." Leslie says giving him a smile that melts Ben.

"I think... We should make out." Ben says slowly hoping that Leslie would not say no.

"Okay." Leslie quickly puts her plate down and Ben impatiently takes her face and starts kissing her roughly. Ben had been fantasizing about making out with Leslie for the past few days and he was really pouring out all of his repressed desires.

**-END SCENE-**


	15. Meet Me Halfway

**At Leslie's Office:**

Amy was already sitting on the chair in front of Leslie's desk. She looked serious with her arms crossed in front of her. Leslie had half a mind to turn around and hide. At this point she is pretty sure that Amy knew that Ben was dating her and it could get them into big trouble.

"Amy. What a surprise." Amy looks up and gives her a deadpan stare. "What can I do for you?" Leslie says with a tight smile.

"For starters, maybe you can explain how you were able to steal Ben from me." Amy says with a cold voice.

"Please don't cause a scene." Leslie says trying to remain calm.

"Why? So, that your little secret doesn't come out?" Amy raises her eyebrow at Leslie.

"There is no secret. You can't prove anything."

"You know what pisses me off? Is that Ben is my one. I will not let him be the one that got away because of someone he has known for a month." Amy leans towards Leslie, "We were together for one year. And we broke up only because he wasn't ready to settle down in Indianapolis back then. And now I'm willing to move here in this pathetic little town just to be near him."

"Listen here, missy. Pawnee is not a pathetic little town. It is a very special place and you definitely do not belong here!" Leslie says defensively, "Also, it doesn't matter how long you were dating Ben, the fact of the matter is that, you are not together anymore."

"We were engaged." Amy says softly and a little calmer. Leslie looks shocked and speechless at this revelation. "It was a few days before our wedding that we decided to take a break." Amy looks sadly into Leslie's eyes, "I was hoping that there was still a chance for us." With that statement, Amy gets up and walks out of the office.

Leslie can't believe it. Right now, all she wants to do is find Ben and get more information about this.

 

****************

**At Ben's Office:**

'Meet me at secret closet ASAP!' Ben reads Leslie's text message and gets excited. They had found a secret supply closet where they could do more than what they could do in Ann's office, plus there was no cameras. He pretends to fix some papers on his desk, gets up and walks towards the door. Halfway to the closet, he half trotted half walked trying to contain his eagerness and trying to look normal.

 

****************

**At the Secret Supply Closet:**

Reaching the door to the closet, Ben takes a quick glance around him to see if anyone was looking before he enters. He sees Leslie's back is turned towards the door, he pulls her to him and turns her around. He gives her a passionate deep kiss. Leslie surprised by the sudden entrance momentarily forgets about her problems as she drowns under Ben's lips.

Leslie is reminded of the main reason she called Ben into the closet when he starts unbuttoning her blazer. She pushes him off and ends the kiss. "No wait. I need to talk to you about something."

Ben looks disappointed, "Oh, you wanted to talk."

"Yes, sorry. Just pause on the make out session for a minute." Leslie says putting her hand on Ben's chest to keep him at a distance. She couldn't concentrate when he was too near. "Amy was in my office earlier."

Ben raises his hands in the air, "What now?" He puts his palm on his forehead in annoyance.

"You were engaged to her?"

Ben's eyes widens. "Yes, we were engaged. But we broke up two months ago."

Leslie looks shocked, "What? So I'm like a rebound girlfriend?"

"No, no. That's not..." Ben stutters, "We got engaged to try to save our relationship. It was, it wasn't, I felt like we were on a plateau so I proposed to her thinking that it would revive the romance." Ben puts his hands on Leslie's arms. "It didn't. And we realized it before we walked down the aisle. It was a mutual agreement that we were over." Ben takes a breath, "I was sad but I wasn't devastated. You know. It felt right, like I know I wouldn't have been happy if we went through it."

Leslie looks him in the eyes and believes him. "She's just lonely and wants to get back what you had…"

Ben shrugs, "There's no chance that will ever happen." He takes Leslie into his arms and gives her a tight hug. Leslie rests her head on his chest and listens to his heart beat.

"Are we OK?" Ben asks after a few seconds of hugging.

"I seriously wish she would just go back to Indianapolis."

Ben kisses the top of her head, "I'm really sorry, babe." He lifts her face up to him. "I know the past few weeks have been a pain." He gives her a quick kiss. "But I'm with you. And nothing is gonna change that."

"Ugh, I hate it when you get so sappy." Leslie pretends to look disgusted.

"Oh really, you hate it?" Ben smiles and kisses her deeply.

"Now this I like." Leslie says in between kisses.

Ben's Star Wars themed ringtone suddenly plays and it rings for a few seconds before Leslie pulls away and gives him an exaggerated pout.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." Ben says as he takes the phone out of his pocket and answers it. "Hey, Chris, what's up?" Ben pauses as he listens to Chris on the other line. "OK, I'll be there in a minute." He hangs up the phone and gives Leslie an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I have to go back, Christ wants to talk about something." He fixes his hair and pants. "I'll see you later?" Leslie nods and gives him a goodbye kiss.

Ben slowly opens the closet door and takes a peek outside before stepping out and closing the door behind him. Leslie leans on the door counting backwards from 100 before she steps outside and heads back to her office.

**\- END SCENE -**


	16. Binder Wars

**At Chris's Office**

Leslie walks into Chris's office and is not at all surprised to see Amy in the room with Chris and Ben.  At this point, it feels like Leslie is trapped in some kind of nightmare where Amy is already in the room whenever she enters.  This just enforces the idea in Leslie's head that Amy is somehow related to either Satan or Voldemort.  Probably both. She thinks to herself.

"Leslie Knope.  Welcome.  Welcome.  Have a seat."  Leslie gives Chris a small smile, not really feeling his cheerfulness at the moment.  She didn't even dare look at Ben right now, too afraid that Amy would suddenly blurt out that Ben was dating Leslie.  She takes an empty chair at the small table in the middle of Chris's office.   She looks over at Amy and gives her small nod.

"Last night, I had an amazing idea."  Chris begins, looking excitedly at the faces around the small table. "I thought, I should ask Amy to plan the Parks Department Employee-Appreciation Barbecue this year!"  He looks at Amy and gives her two thumbs up.  Amy smiles widely and returns a thumbs up to Chris. "So, I called her up and she agreed."

"Wait, what's happening?"  Leslie is clearly not happy to hear this.  She always planned this event since the year she joined the Parks Department.  Always.

"Well, Amy is a wonderful events planner.  And since she's free, she is very much happy to help us out.  Plus she gets to spend more time in City Hall.  Maybe I can have her share a desk with Ben."  Chris says, obviously still trying to get Ben and Amy to spend more time together.  "Right, Ben?" 

Ben had hoped that he wouldn't need to contribute to this discussion.  He smiles awkwardly unable to find the words to begin with.  "Uh."  He crosses his arms, stares at a far corner of the room and pretends to be in deep thought. "Um. I think..."

"I'm sorry, Chris."  Leslie cuts in, unable to wait for Ben's answer.  "But I always plan the Parks Department Employee-Appreciation Barbecue.  Have you not heard about the 'Leslie Knope Employment Enjoyment Summerslam Grill Jam Fun-splosion' program that we have every year during this event?"  Leslie gives him a look of disbelief, "I mean, it's only the best thing about this event and you can ask everyone and they will all agree."

"I'm sorry, Leslie.  I'm sure that it's a really fun program, but I think this year, we should try something different."

 

*****************************

**Cut to One-on-One Interview with Leslie:**

"The last time someone tried something different in one of these events, ten people had to be rushed to the hospital."  Leslie holds up both hands to show ten fingers for emphasis.  "Although, technically, it was because raccoons had somehow crashed the party and started scratching at people. But that's not the point.  The point is, no one should ever change things when there is no change needed!"

 

*****************************

**At the Conference Room in the Parks Department**

"Good afternoon, everyone.  My name is Amy Santiago and Chris has asked me to help plan the upcoming Parks Department Employee-Appreciation Barbecue."  Amy cheerfully announces to the group of people.  She looks around the room and discovers that the reactions of each one present is not what she was hoping for but she is up to the challenge.  This is part of her job and she had a few tricks up her sleeves to try to get them to participate.

"Aren't you the dog hater?"  April's sarcastic voice cuts through the awkward silence.

"I don't, uh, hate dogs...  I'm just allergic to them and could possibly die if I go near one."  Amy says defensively.  Amy looks to Ben for help, but to her disappointment, Ben is pretending to read the papers in front of him like a student trying not to be noticed by the teacher.

"I have something that might help you with the preparation, Amy."  Leslie brings out a binder, holds it up and presents it to everyone in the room. A few groans and some eye rolls occur from the people sitting around the conference table as they read the huge title plastered at the front of the binder which clearly says 'The Leslie Knope Event Planning Preparedness Super System.' 

"That's right, it's 'The Leslie Knope Event Planning Preparedness Super System' which has been used for all types of events that are planned by the Parks Department."  Leslie turns back to Amy and hands the binder to her.

"Actually, Leslie,"  Amy pauses as she grabs a binder from her bag and places it on the table, "I have my own Event Planning System."

At this point, Ben glances up from his papers to look at Leslie's reaction.  And as he suspected, she is not taking this rejection well.  Her mouth forms a tight line and her eyebrows are furrowed.  He watches as Leslie takes a deep breath and says through clenched teeth, "That's amazing, Amy."  Ben knows how much self-control Leslie is practicing at this moment not to throw one of her tantrums.

"Thank you, Leslie. So, here are the tasks and the owners..." Amy continues and starts handing out paper to each one.

 

*****************************

**At Ben's Office**

"She has her own binder, Ben! Her own super system. And it's actually thicker than mine." Leslie is pacing back and forth in front of Ben's desk. "And I bet it's really good because she's a successful events planner." Leslie pauses and looks to have fallen into deep thought. "I wonder how she divided the different phases of the planning process..."

Leslie turns to Ben and in a serious tone says, "Ben, I need you to pretend that you want to read her notes overnight. That way you can bring the binder with you when you stay at my house tonight. And I can stay up all night and read through it and make a copy." At this absurd request, Ben's response was to turn to the camera and give his usual do-you-see-the-crazy-I-have-to-deal-with-everyday look.

Looking back at Leslie, Ben asks, "So, you are actually more concerned with the fact that she has a better super system than with the idea that she is going to be spending a lot of time with me again?"

"Well, crap on a spatula. I haven't even thought of that yet..." Leslie takes a few seconds to process this. "Hmm. I'm surprisingly not feeling jealous." Leslie says thoughtfully. "I know where you stand and you're just caught in the middle of Chris's stupid plans."

Ben reaches out to take Leslie's hand in his and gives her a tender smile. "Well, I'm really glad to hear that."

The door to the office suddenly flies open as Chris and Amy enter, causing Leslie and Ben to let go of each other's hands abruptly and pretend that they were just having a casual conversation.

"Hi Leslie." Chris says then turns to Amy. "Amy, you can temporarily park your stuff here next to Ben. Let me just grab you a chair."

"Hi Leslie." Amy says, placing the binder she was holding on Ben's table and then ducking below the table to rummage for something in her bag.

Leslie turns to Ben and says, "Alright, I'll head back to my office then." Leslie secretly points to the binder that Amy placed on the table and silently mouths to him, "Take this home."

**-END SCENE-**


	17. Trust Fall

**At Leslie's House:**

"Ben, have you seen my sneakers?" Leslie walks out of the bedroom, sits next to Ben on the sofa and starts putting on her socks.

Ben looks around him with one eyebrow raised. Camera pans out to show the mountains of things piled around Leslie's living room. "Uh... Nope..."

"Ugh, I don't want to be late for the stupid barbecue event." Leslie starts rummaging through her things. She gives a squeal of delight when she finally finds them. "You go on ahead, so we don't end up getting there at the same time."

Leslie lets out a small yelp as Ben suddenly grabs her and places her on his lap. She receives a kiss from Ben as he pulls her into his arms.  Leslie pulls away from the kiss as she tries to take a breath while Ben whispers into her ear, "Have I told you yet how beautiful you look in your tight blue jeans?" He playfully nibbles on her earlobe and in a soft low voice says, "We don't have to go to the stupid event, you know..."

"Stop!" Leslie's face is red from blushing as she feels Ben's breath on her ear. "We are going to be late! Now, move it, Wyatt." She exclaims, getting off of his lap.

Leslie tries to finish buttoning her blouse, Ben stands and gets closer to her, he moves her hand away as he says, "Here, let me help you with that." He starts fidgeting with the buttons but instead of closing them he is unbuttoning her blouse.

Leslie swats his hands off of her, "Oh my God, Wyatt, what are you, 18?" He laughs and gives her one last look from head to toe before heading out. 

 _Ooof, my boyfriend is so hot... He's like a sexy seahorse. Hmmm._  Leslie thinks to herself as she watches Ben walk out the door.

 

*****************

**At the Stupid Barbecue Event:**

Leslie hates to admit it, but she is actually impressed with the event that Amy put together. There is good entertainment, food is overflowing and people are having fun. She scans the faces of the crowd to find Ben. A smile appears on her face as she catches Ben already looking at her from across the field. She raises her beer at him and he winks back at her.

Their secret moment is interrupted as Carl, from Pawnee Rangers Department, blocks Leslie's view of Ben. "HI LESLIE!"

Leslie cringes at Carl's loud voice. "Hi Carl. How are you?"

"I'M DOING REALLY GOOD!" He takes a sip of his beer, "I FINALLY MOVED OUT OF MY MOM'S HOUSE. I'M NOW AN INDEPENDENT MAN!"

"That's nice, Carl."

"HEY LESLIE. ARE YOU SEEING ANYONE RIGHT NOW?"

"Uh, no."

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAYBE GO ON A DATE WITH ME THEN?"

Leslie is about to reject his ridiculous offer when an idea suddenly came to her. "I have a better idea!" She takes Carl's arm and half drags him with her, "Come with me." Leslie looks around for Amy and starts steering Carl to that direction.

"Amy! Hi. Great job with this party. Have you met Carl?" She pushes Carl in front of Amy and high tails as quickly as she can.

"HI, I'M CARL!"

"WHY ARE YOU YELLING?" Amy yells back.

"I'm sorry... I've just been working outdoor so much that I need to yell to be heard."

Leslie watches the two of them continue their conversation from afar. She hopes that her plan works out. This way, Amy can finally stop trying to get back with Ben. Leslie scans the crowd again to look for her boyfriend. She laughs as she finds him giving her an ' _I saw what you just did_ ' look. He gives her a silent clap and she acknowledges with a small nod and a wide smile.

Again, their view of each other gets blocked as Sewage Joe stands in front of Leslie. "Gotta hand it to you, Knope. You fill out that tight jeans very well." He gives her body a look that sends the wrong kind of shiver down Leslie's spine.

"Eww, Joe, what are you doing here? You're not even from our department!"

"I'm someone's plus one."

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is, you and me finding a quiet spot and getting to know each other better."

"No, gross. Get away from me." Leslie walks away from Joe and shakes off the creepy feeling he gave her.

She isn't surprised to find that Ben is already looking at her with a concerned expression. She shakes her head at him to tell him that she is fine. Leslie is loving these secret conversations they are having with just facial expressions. She is about to head to his direction and pretend to have casual conversation with him only to be blocked again by an unfamiliar stranger.

"Are you Leslie Knope?" Leslie looks up at the man standing in front of her. She had never seen him before and would have guessed he is probably one of Ann's boyfriends. He certainly had the look and body that Ann normally went for in this dating around stage she is in.

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"I'm Seth Myer. You don't know me, but I have heard so much about you. I'm the Director of the Parks Department in Muncie. I'm here as a guest speaker."

"Hi, Seth." Leslie shakes his hand, "I have heard about you too. Muncie's Parks Department has a really good reputation. It's nice to finally meet you."

 

*****************

**Cut to One-on-One Interview with Seth:**

"Leslie is very well known around the different Parks department all over Indiana. Mainly due to a chain email circulating around with pictures of her falling into a pit." Seth coughs to hide a laugh. "Once I learned that she wasn't injured in that fall, I thought it was actually really cute and I could see her passion in those photos."

 

*****************

**At the other side of the event:**

Ben stares hard at Leslie and the guy with her. She has been talking to him for the past 15 minutes now and Ben is very curious who this guy is. Now they are laughing at something and He starts to feel a little jealous at the attention she is giving this stranger.  She hasn't once tried to catch his eyes since they started talking.

"Earth to Ben." Andy's voice breaks Ben's concentration. "So how's it going with you and Leslie? Have you asked her out yet?"

"Uh... No. I can't go on a date with her, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Cause of Chris's stupid rule."

"So, all I can do right now is watch as different guys hit on her." Ben vents to Andy. He is glad to at least have one person he can talk to about his situation with Leslie.

"Ugh, that sucks. But I think you should just date her, man. Keep it a secret you know."

"Yeah, you know what, maybe I will do that." Ben says surprised at Andy's astute advice.

"No, don't tell me that! I have a hard time keeping secrets!" Andy leaves Ben behind and Ben looks into the camera with his usual 'I'm surrounded by insane people' expression.

He decides to join Leslie and find out who she is talking to once and for all. "Hey Leslie."

"Hi Ben. Ben, this is Seth, he is the Director of the Parks Department at Muncie." Ben shakes Seth's hand. He feels a lot more insecure now, knowing that this guy has the same line of work as his girlfriend. Not to mention, Seth is taller than him and admittedly not a bad looking guy. 

"Ben is the Assistant City Manager." He hears a little pride in Leslie's voice as she says this which makes him feel a little better.

"It's good to meet you, Ben." Seth turns to Leslie as he says, "I have to head off and find Amy, I think I'm about to make a speech on stage. It was really great talking to you, Leslie. I hope we can talk more in the future. I will definitely be calling you." He smiles and heads off towards the stage area.

"He's going to call you, huh?" Ben gives Leslie a questioning look.

"Ben Wyatt, are you jealous?" Leslie laughs hard at this revelation.

"Uh, no. I'm not." Ben stammers his denial which only makes Leslie laugh harder.

"Oh my God, look how the tables have turned. How does it feel, Wyatt? Watching your girlfriend flirt with another guy?"

"Don't joke about that, Leslie. I'll make out with you, right here, right now, if you don't stop." Ben gives her a serious look. Leslie is holding on to her stomach now as she continues to laugh at Ben's pained face.

"You know what, Seth is really good looking, maybe I should make out with him later."

"Look, I know you're joking, but I'm feeling a little vulnerable here." Leslie hears the tone of his voice and starts to believe that Ben really is feeling jealous as she looks at his hurt expression.

"Aww, Babe. What have you got to be jealous about? I'm not going to jump his bones."

"Don't even talk about jumping bones with another man, Leslie." Ben's heart jumped a bit just thinking about it.

"Okay, I'll stop. I'm just teasing you. Why are you so insecure about this? I'm madly obsessed with your butt, Wyatt."

"Thank you. I get the irony of this, okay. I'm here freaking out over seeing you have a small conversation with a good looking guy while a few days ago I was brushing away your jealousy."

Ben gives Leslie a resigned look, "I just really wish we weren't a secret anymore, you know. I hate watching other guys hit on you. I counted three guys, Leslie. Three guys trying to flirt with my girlfriend."

"Sewage Joe doesn't count. He hits on anyone without a penis."

"I'm serious, Leslie. I really wish we weren't dating in secret."

"I really wish that too, Ben." They stare at each other with pent up emotions of wanting to touch and kiss in public. They are starting to fall for each other and not being able to express it outside of Leslie's house is really frustrating.

The crowd claps as Seth's speech ends. Amy takes the stage and announces the last activity for the day. "We are going to do a Trust Fall with a partner that I have already set up in advance."

As the pairs get called out, Ben had to hold his protest as he hears Leslie and Seth paired together. He has a sinking feeling that Amy had planned this all along. He is not surprised to hear his name paired with Amy.

Leslie looks at Ben and silently mouths, "I'm sorry." Even though Leslie isn't feeling any jealousy towards Ben and Amy anymore, she knows full well what Ben is feeling with her having Seth as a partner. Although, she can't help feel a little excited at the thought of her boyfriend getting jealous over another guy.

Everyone starts to line up with their partners, apparently, they are going to do the Trust Fall altogether. Ben's attention is with Leslie and Seth the whole time. Watching them talk and laugh about something.

"Hellooo. Bennnn." Amy is waving her hand in front of Ben's face. "Look, I'm sorry I paired them up, Okay? To be fair, I did that before I realized that we are never getting back together. Now, can we just get this trust fall over and move on with our lives?" Ben turns to Amy and gives her a small smile. He feels relief to hear Amy finally give up on her quest.

"I'm glad to hear that, Ames." Amy smiles back. She plans to tell him later about meeting Carl and how they seem to hit it off.

"ALL RIGHT, ON THE COUNT OF THREE!" Amy yells on the megaphone, "ONE! TWO! THREE!" She falls on Ben's arms smoothly.

Ben straightens her up and gives her a short hug. "Great job with this event, Ames." She smiles at him and runs off to check on how the others did.  He takes a look around at the aftermath of the activity. It seems that the trust fall isn't as smooth for some of the pairs. Ann is lying flat on her back. Amy had paired her with April. And to Ben's shock, he sees Leslie is lying on top of Seth.

 _How hard is it to catch a tiny woman?_ Ben thinks angrily. He wants to rush towards them and pick up Leslie off of Seth. But he knows that would catch too much attention. He watches in anger as they are both laughing about this and he notices Seth taking his time in helping Leslie up. He starts checking for any injuries on Leslie and Ben is livid at seeing his hands freely touching different parts of Leslie's body.

This is too much for Ben. Seeing another guy's hands roaming around his girlfriend's shoulders and waist is making him see red, he marches towards them and finally catches Leslie's eyes.

"What's going on, are you OK?" Ben asks Leslie.

"Yes, I'm fine." Leslie sees Ben's clenched jaw. She knows when her boyfriend is controlling his anger.  She always notices his jawline which had the perfect angle.  And right now it was wired really tight.

"Just had a bit of trouble in the landing." Seth says with a laugh. Leslie only gives him a small smile, now fully aware that Ben is not happy about what just happened. "Well, that was fun. Unfortunately, I have another appointment soon and have to excuse myself. I will talk to you later, Leslie."

Leslie turns to Ben as soon as Seth is out of earshot, wondering how to assure him that he has nothing to worry about. "Can we talk about this later at my house?" She asks, not wanting to cause a scene.

Ben turns his back and walks purposely to his car leaving Leslie slightly worried that he might not show up at her house tonight.

**\- END SCENE -**


	18. Really?

**At** **Leslie's** **House** :

 

Leslie enters the house timidly.She saw Ben's car parked outside and he knew where she hid her spare key.Leslie had a feeling that he's already waiting for her inside.

 

She finds him on the couch with a beer in his hand.He looks over to her when he heard the door creak open and sees her still standing in the doorway with a sheepish expression on her face.

 

"I'm not mad."His declaration makes Leslie release the breath she was holding.She walks over and sits next to him, resting her head on his chest, as he places his arm on her shoulder.She kicks off her shoes and tucks one leg under the other.

 

"I know this secret dating thing is starting to take a toll on us.I really wish there was a way to have our relationship out in the open."Leslie says while taking Ben's hand and absentmindedly playing with it, tracing her finger all over his palm.This is her favorite part of the day, where they can touch freely and just fit into each other perfectly.

 

"Every time I looked over to you, I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you were, you know.And I always have to watch myself and make sure I'm not staring at you all the time. I just bottled up so much tension that I snapped a little.I'm sorry if I overacted.”

 

"We just have to hang in there.At least until we figure out a loophole." 

 

"What if there's no loophole?"

 

"Then we'll draw straws and see which one of us has to murder Chris." 

 

Ben laughs, he loves how Leslie always find a way to end a serious discussion with a joke.He kisses the top of her head and takes her hand in his.He places the beer on the coffee table and stands, pulling Leslie off the couch and pulling her close to him.The top of her head only reaches up to his nose and he loves seeing her raise her face to him.Her glowing face in that angle is his favorite thing in the world."It almost broke me to see another man's hand on you." 

 

"I'm sorry.Does it help if I told you that I only ever want your hands on me?"

 

"It does a little."Ben cups her face in his big hands and pulls her up for a kiss.Leslie tiptoes to reach Ben's mouth as they give each other a deep and slow kiss. Her hands rest on Ben's hips for support as she leans in further.

 

Ben's hand slides down to her waist and he hoists her up with one strong effort.Leslie instinctively wraps her legs around Ben's hips, her arms circling his neck, their lips still locked together.He carries her to the bedroom to release the tension that he'd been holding all day.

 

 

*********************************

 **At** **City** **Hall** :

 

“This is one of our murals entitled ‘Traveling Magician’ which depicts a traveling magician who came through town one time and he pulled a rabbit out of a hat, and the mob burned him at the stake for being a witch.”Leslie presents the mural to Seth who looks at it with raised brows.

 

Seth had dropped by Leslie’s office this morning, unannounced with the excuse of wanting a tour around City Hall before his meeting with Councilman Howser.

 

“Are they burning the rabbit too?”

 

“Unfortunately, yes.” This makes both of them laugh uncontrollably.

 

“Leslie Knope?”Leslie jumps at hearing her name. She turns around to see Chris and Ben and feels a little guilty that Ben catches her with Seth.“Ah and Seth Myer, I see that Leslie is giving you a tour of our lovely murals.These are literally the most beautiful paintings about the tragic history of Pawnee.”

 

“Yes, indeed.” Seth gives Leslie a smile and a knowing look as if he was sharing an inside joke with her.

 

Ben tries really hard not to show any signs of emotion. He’s well aware that Chris knew him enough to notice if there was a change of mood in him.It was a struggle because he really wants to wipe the smug smile off of Seth's face.He didn't realize that he could feel this kind of jealousy until he started dating Leslie.He wonders if it was due to the fact that no one knew Leslie belonged to him. 

 

“I’m so sorry to cut this conversation short, but I must head off to meet with Councilman Howser.”He shakes Chris and Ben’s hands and then turns to Leslie as he asks, “Leslie, if you are free tonight, would you like to grab some dinner before I head back to Muncie?”

 

Ben notices Leslie's mind scrambling to find an excuse not to. He knows she is about to say yes so, he quickly blurts out without thinking, “Actually, she’s not free tonight.”He might have said it a bit too forcefully as all of them suddenly turn to face him.

 

“Uh, we have a meeting tonight to go over the, uh, budget.” Ben wants to kick himself for using the lamest explanation he could think of.

 

“Well, this must be very important to warrant a meeting after work hours.”

 

“See, this is why I call Ben and Leslie my dynamic duo. They are two of the most hardworking people I know. Always wanting to get things done as soon as possible.”Ben feels relieved that Chris is oblivious.

 

“Right. Well, ok then. I hope that I can visit again soon.” He turns to Leslie and gives her a meaningful smile. “Leslie, thank you for the tour.”He walks off to the direction of Councilman Howser’s office.

 

"He looks like a fun--"Chris pauses for a few seconds leaving Ben and Leslie to stare at him with perplexed expressions.His face suddenly lights up as he exclaims, "Oh, I just thought of a GREAT idea!Pawnee should collaborate more with Muncie Parks Department! Leslie, Ben, why don't both of you head over there this weekend and stay the whole week.See what activities we can set up in partnership with them."

 

"That is a great idea, Chris."Leslie means what she said.This will give her and Ben an excuse to spend time on the weekend and in another place far from Pawnee where they can act like a real couple.

 

"Awesome.Now, excuse me as I go for my pre-lunch run."

 

Ben and Leslie watch Chris start jogging towards the exit, unbuttoning his shirt and removing it to reveal his jogging jersey underneath, he does it with such flair similar to how Superman does it in the early movies.They both try to squash the laughter bubbling up at this ridiculous sight.

 

Ben turns to Leslie and asks, "A whole week away from Pawnee, do you think you can handle that, Leslie?"

 

"A whole week with me, Wyatt.Do you think you can handle that?"Leslie gives Ben a sly look.

 

"Fuck me."He uncharacteristically curses as he suddenly realizes that they would have the whole week to themselves.

 

"Oh, you bet I will."Ben laughs at Leslie's loaded answer.He looks around him to make sure no one overheard their conversation.

 

- **End** **Scene** -


	19. Road Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays, everyone!

**Sunday:**  
**In Ben's Car:**

"OK, here's a good question.  When did you start having a crush on me?"  Leslie is excited to hear Ben's answer.  He has been driving for half an hour now and his eyes are focused on the road.  But a wide grin appears as he thinks of his answer. They'd been asking each other questions since the road trip started.

"Remember that time you were sick with the flu?"  He takes a quick glance at Leslie and sees her trying to rack her memories of that day. 

"Barely. I was high on flu medicine then."

"Well, I was so worried you'd end up vomiting on the podium because you looked so pale.  Then all of the sudden your mood changes, your speech was perfect, you were on your A game.  And I realized, that when you're that passionate about something, short of being on your deathbed, nothing would stop you."  He takes her hand in his and massages her palm with his thumb without taking his eyes of the road.  "I was so impressed that I just, I think, I admitted to myself that I was starting to get attracted to you."

Leslie's heart wants to burst at this information. "Is that why you brought me waffles the next day?  And that weird smelling chicken soup?"  Her laughter rings out and Ben laughs along.

"Don't make fun of my chicken soup.  It's an old family recipe!"  Ben releases her hand as he uses both hands to make a sharp right. "OK, my turn.  Same question."

"That's not fair! I keep thinking of these awesome questions and you just keep re-using them!"  She crosses her arms and tries to recall when she started having a crush on Ben.  "Hmm, I remember that I really hated your guts when we first met." 

"You called me a jerk on several occasions."

"Well, you were.  Don't deny it.  You burst into the office all ready to chop people's heads off."

"I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that in all my time of slashing budgets, I have never once encountered anyone as belligerent as you."

"Good.  You deserve every annoying email that I sent.  Anyway, back to my story.  So, at first I hated your guts.  Then you agreed to let me have the Harvest Festival, I started not to hate you so much.  Then we spent so much time together getting ready for it that I started to consider you a friend."

"So, what got me out of the friendzone?"

Leslie looks thoughtfully at Ben.  "When you told me that you were considering going back to Indianapolis.  I felt this weird flip flop in my gut when I imagined not seeing you around in City Hall anymore."  Her eyes trace the profile of his face. Appreciating his perfectly angled jawline.  "Like, there was a sudden realization that I wanted more time with you and not just as a friend."

"So, you realized you wanted to get into my pants?"

"Shut up, Wyatt!  You wanted to get into my pants first."

"You're so cute when you want to bone me."  Leslie pokes him on his side for teasing her. Ben, being ticklish, makes a knee jerk reaction to her poke. "Don't do that, Leslie. I'll end up crashing the car."  Leslie laughs out loud.  The last time they went on a road trip, she had to distract herself from imagining hot make out sessions with Ben.  On this road, it was all she could think about. And this time, there was no Chris around to stop her.

*******************  
**At the Muncie Grand Hotel**

They both check in to the hotel and are given rooms at the opposite side of the same floor. Leslie is unpacking her things when she hears a soft knock. She knows it's Ben.  Soon as she unlocks it, Ben closes the door behind him, grabs her by the waist, twirls her around and pushes her against the door.  Leslie's arms circle around his neck as she catches her breath and she looks deep into his eyes.

This was always a fantasy of Leslie's. To be pinned between a wall and Ben's body.  She had imagined this scenario multiple times, but reality was way better than fantasy. Way better.

Ben stares at her face for a couple of seconds before he dives in for a kiss that devours Leslie's soul. His hand slides to the back of Leslie's head, his fingers running through her hair.  Leslie returns the kiss with so much force that Ben has to take a few steps back.  She puts all her weight on Ben.

His kiss travels down to her neck and Leslie arches her head to give him more access.  Ben spends a few seconds on a hallow spot near her collarbone and Leslie feels faint from the burst of shivers she was experiencing. Ben pushes her back against the door so she can lean on it for support.

And because Leslie is a giver, she wants Ben to experience the same thing.  She shifts her head, breaking the contact Ben's lips had on her skin.  Leslie's lips start to trace his jawline with wet kisses and Ben's grip tightens around her waist.  "God, Leslie.  You're killing me."  He leans his forehead on the door as her kisses travel down his neck. 

A loud Star Wars ring tone that suddenly fills the air.  "Fuck, Ben.  Your phone has shitty timing."  Leslie says, annoyed that they had to pause on this really hot make out session.

"It's not mine."  He says his hand going to his back pocket and confirming that his phone was not vibrating.

"Oh. Yeah, it's mine then." 

"Did you make your ringtone the same as mine?"

"Yes, it's our secret couple thing."  Leslie laughs as she grabs her phone from the table and looks at the caller ID.  "Shit, it's Seth."  She motions for him to be quiet and answers her phone.  "Seth, hi!  What?  You're here now?  You're heading up right now?"  There's panic in Leslie's face as she looks at Ben and points him to the bathroom.  She mouths the word 'hide'. 

Ben scrambles and almost trips on Leslie's luggage as he runs to the bathroom.  She sees the door close just in the nick of time, as Leslie hears the doorbell ring.

Leslie takes a breath and opens the door.  "Seth! You're here."  Seth still had the phone in his ears.  He laughs as he hangs up and Leslie hangs up her phone too.  He gives her a short hug and she invites him in.

"Sorry to barge in, I just wanted to have a talk with you alone."

"Alone? Why?"

"I, um, I wanted to personally ask you out on a dinner date. I really like you, Leslie, you're really funny, really passionate about your job.  And you're very beautiful.  And I'd really like to get to know you better."  There was a sudden loud crash in the bathroom, making Seth look over to the bathroom door.  "What was that?"

"Oh, uh, it's the wind.  It might have knocked down something.  I, I left the window open, I think."  Leslie struggles for an explanation.  She imagines it was Ben eavesdropping on this conversation and dropping whatever cup he was using to listen in.

Seth turns back to Leslie accepting her explanation and looking hopefully at her, waiting for an answer. "So, um, do you want to go out with me?"

"Look, Seth.  I'm really flattered.  Really.  But I, I can't."  Leslie feels bad at seeing Seth's ash fallen face.

"May I ask why?"

"I, uh, I like girls."

There's a short pause between them.  It was the first thing that came into her mind and she blurted it out without thinking.

"Well, that explains it."  Seth finally says.  He smiles and laughs to cover the awkwardness of the situation.

"Right.  Sorry."

"No, no.  It's fine, don't be sorry.  I'll just--  I'll see you in the office tomorrow then?"

"Yes.  I'm sorry again."

"Nothing to be sorry about, Leslie.  I misread things.  I should be the one to say sorry.  I just assumed-- well, right, then I best get going."  Leslie sees Seth out and she leans her forehead on the door as she lets out a deep breath.  She feels Ben's hand on her back and she turns to face him, seeing his smug smile.

"You like girls?"

"Shut up, Ben. Just finish what you started."  She circles her arms around her neck, she jumps and wraps her legs around his waist.  Ben catches her, his hands supporting her rear as he carries her to the bed.

*******************  


The week went by like a blur.  They focused on work during the day and after work, they would do something special every night.  They had fancy dinners and some nights they just had room service.

They went to see a movie and had a little debate whether to see a sci-fi flick or a rom-com starring Sandra Bullock.  Leslie won only after she promised Ben she'd do that thing during sex that he really liked.

They took strolls in the park and fed the geese that lived on the lake.  One of the geese started chasing Ben and Leslie had to go save him by distracting it with some bread.  Ben vowed never to go near them again even after Leslie assured him that she would protect him against all harmless creatures at all cost.

But Sunday came and they had to make their way back to Pawnee.  Leslie missed her home town a lot but this week have been the best days she's ever had.  Being able to act like a real couple with Ben was amazing and she is having a hard time accepting that soon they'll be back in Pawnee and they would have to hide their relationship again.

Ben feels the same way and has been quiet the whole drive back to Pawnee. They were now just a few minutes away from Leslie's house.

"Hey. So, what are you going to do after you drop me off?"  Leslie asks softly.

"First, I need to check if Andy and April are still alive and if the house is still intact." Ben parks in front of Leslie's house and looks over to her.  "Then I'll come by tonight."

"Yeah, that sounds good."  Leslie tries to sound happy even when she was feeling really crappy that they were now back to being a couple only within the confines of her house.

**-End Scene-**


	20. Ben and Leslie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long to finish...

**At Leslie's House:**

"Do you want eggs or bacon with your pancakes?" Ben yells from the kitchen.

"I want whip cream!" Leslie replies off camera from the bedroom.

"That wasn't in the choices, but sure…" Ben mumbles to himself, shaking his head at Leslie's obsession with whip cream.

His Star Wars themed ringtone blares suddenly and he sets the pan down to quickly grab his phone from the dining table. He sees Chris's name pop up on the caller ID and answers it.

"Hey, Chris. What's up?"

"Ben Wyatt?"

"Yup."

"Why do you have Leslie's phone?"

Ben's blood drains as he realizes that he answered Leslie's phone. He blanks out and looks wide-eyed at Leslie who just entered the kitchen. Leslie seeing her phone on Ben's hand gives him a confused look.

"Uh, well, Chris… I…" Ben stammers on the phone and Leslie panics as she finally understands what Ben has done. Her jaw falls open and she's staring at Ben as he struggles to find an answer. Her gut feels like it's filled with rocks, and she's thinking that this is it. This is how they get found out. Chris would see the clues and put two and two together.

"Leslie, uh, left it in the car yesterday from our trip back!" Ben quickly answers, looking proud of his clever excuse. Leslie sighs a breath of relief as it sounds plausible. "Yes, I'll relay that message to her." Ben hangs up and throws the phone to Leslie. "Change your damn ring-tone, Leslie. That was really close!"

"Gaahhh! I'm so so so sorry!" Leslie fiddles with her phone as she changes the settings. Her heart rate is starting to come down. "What did Chris want?"

"He wanted to set a meeting with you around 10 this morning." Ben takes the pan from the stove and transfers the pancakes on her plate. He opens the can of whip cream and sprays the pancake surface completely, swirling his hand until he reaches a height that he knew Leslie preferred.

"Thank you! I love when you prepare breakfast." She kisses Ben lightly on the lips before she sits and starts devouring her food. Ben sits beside her and eats his bacon and eggs.

They were back in Pawnee, back to hiding how they felt about each other in public. Leslie shouldn't complain really. She has an amazing boyfriend that she's dating in secret. She got to spend a wonderful week with him in Muncie. One glorious week where the universe ceased to exist outside of them. Sweet, fun and sexy hot moments that she replayed in her mind. She's thinking all this while licking the whip cream from her fork.

"Good Lord. Stop that. I'm getting really jealous of that fork." Ben teases her. He sees how distracted she is this morning and he knows what she's feeling. He's feeling the exact same thing. The trip to Muncie made him realize that he wants them to be a real couple. Do things real couples do without the fear of getting fired. Leslie smiles back and he reaches out and tucks a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. She leans her face on his big hand and then turns to kiss his palm. It's such a short and sweet exchange that Ben feels the urge to skip work and just spend the whole day with her. But he knows that Leslie would never skip work, not even when the world was ending.

"So, I guess it's back to normal then in the office? I'll try not to stare at your butt all the time and you'll try not to call me babe in one of our meetings?" Her smile doesn't reach her eyes.

Ben wants to cheer her up and comes up with an idea. "Alright, how about this. Let's go out tonight, I'll figure out a place that I know no one from work goes to." He feels heavy in his heart when Leslie sighs and nods her head softly. It's the best he can give her for now, until he figures out a way around Chris' rule.

 

*********************************

**At Ben's Office:**

"Will you tell her for me?"

"Actually, you can tell her yourself." Ben points to the door as Leslie enters.

"Hi, Amy. Fancy seeing you here." Leslie wonders when she stopped thinking of Amy as a close relative of Voldemort. Had they met in another circumstance, they would have probably become friends. The past few weeks were definitely hard to forget, but Leslie knew that a woman in love would do crazy stuff.

"Leslie, hi! I was telling Ben that I'm going to be moving to Brooklyn."

"What? But I thought you were starting to like it here in Pawnee. What about Carl?"

"I do like it here in Pawnee. But since you last introduced me to Carl, well, we've been going out. And we both want to start fresh somewhere. So, we decided to move to Brooklyn." She beams at Leslie and flashes her pearly white teeth at her.

"Wow. That is some news. What's Carl going to do in Brooklyn?"

"Well, he wants to shift his career a little bit and go into the police department. I mean, don't get me wrong, he really loves being a Park Ranger, but he wants to do more than guard the park from rowdy kids and runaway raccoons."

"You know, I can picture him as a police officer. I'd bet he'd make a good detective someday."

"I'll let him know you said that. Also, I really just wanted to say I'm sorry for the things I put you through. And thank you for introducing Carl to me. I was so mean to you and in the end you still figured out a way to help me."

"It's nothing. Really. I wish you a happy life in Brooklyn and if you ever find yourself in Pawnee again, don't be shy to say hi." Leslie gives Amy a hug. Ben gives Amy a hug too and they say their goodbyes as she leaves the office.

"Awww, I feel kinda sad to see her go." Leslie says turning to Ben.

"Me too. I told you she was a nice person."

"Well, I'm sorry, I was too busy being jealous." Leslie gives him a knowing smile. She can't believe the series of events that happened for the past few weeks were because she couldn't take seeing another girl hanging out with Ben.

"So, I found a restaurant a couple of minutes downtown that I think we can safely go to tonight. I've made reservations for 6:30. I'll pick you up at 6?"

"Sounds great. I'll wear something extra special." She gives Ben a wink before she turns and sashays out of his office.

 

*********************************

**At Ben's House:**

"Wow, Ben! You look fancy!" Andy exclaims as Ben enters the living room wearing a black suit and tie. Andy and April were cuddled on the couch watching a show on TV.

"Are you going on a date?" April asks suspiciously.

"Uh, maybe." Ben doesn't want them to keep prying in case he accidentally gives something away.

"Who is it? Tell us!" Andy runs to the entrance and blocks the door.

"Andy." Ben gives him a look. "Please get out of the way."

"No, Babe. Don't let him pass until he tells us." April joins Andy and stares down Ben with her arms crossed. "Tell us, Ben."

"Seriously?" Ben starts to get annoyed, he places his hands on his hips and tries to think of how he can get out of this situation. "It's no one you know."

"You're lying. I know when you're lying." April narrows her eyes at him. "Don't think we don't notice that you haven't been sleeping in this house for the past few months."

"Yeah." Andy agrees then his facial expression changes suddenly when he realizes what April just said. "Wait… What, you haven't been sleeping in the house?"

"It's none of your business. Please let me through or I'll be late." He starts to worry that April might be able to figure things out.

"It  _is_  someone we know." April looks thoughtfully at Ben. "But you can't tell us and you're keeping it a secret."

 

********************************

**Cut to One-on-One with April:**

"He's sleeping with Leslie." April says in deadpan into the camera.

 

 **  
** *********************************

**Back At Ben's House:**

April finally speaks after staring at Ben for a few excruciating seconds. "Let him pass, babe." She says to Andy.

"But why? He hasn't told us yet." Andy whines but moves aside and watches Ben hurry out the door.

Ben suspects that April figured it out but he is thankful that she isn't going to say anything. In a weird way, he feels that he can trust that April won't mention it to anyone.

 

*********************************

**At Leslie's House:**

"Ok, how do I look?" Leslie appears at her bedroom doorway and presents her dress to Ann.

"What are you going for exactly?"

"I'm going for an 'innocent until proven guilty' look."

"Okay, that description does not sound sexy, but that dress definitely looks hot." Ann gestures for her to turn around and gasps. "Whoa, that dress will also let you catch a cold tonight. But Ben is going to be really happy to see you in that."

Leslie beams at Ann's words. She feels giddy that she gets to go on an actual date with Ben. She wanted to show how special it was by wearing the sexiest backless dress she had.

"Ok, so let's make sure you have everything you need to distract Chris tonight."

"Don't worry, Leslie. I got this. I will be playing boggle with him until you get back home."

"Oh Ann, you sparkly ball of distraction. Thank you for this."

Ann gives her a wide closed lip smile. "Ok, let's work on that smoky eye shadow then. And let's put your hair up. Then you need to show me what shoes you're wearing with that." Ann drags Leslie back to her bedroom.

 

*********************************

**At the Fancy Restaurant:**

Leslie's hearty laugh makes Ben smile. Ben was just telling her why he tried to build a giant winter sports complex during his term as mayor. The first reason was to impress Cindy Eckert who had turned him down for senior prom and the second reason was because he had a thing for women in skates and building a huge ice skating rink would ensure that there were always girls in skates all year round. She imagined Ben as a horny 18 year old who used up all the town budget to fund his fetish and this made her laugh harder.

"I'm not kidding!" Ben says defensively. Ben smiles widely at Leslie. He loves seeing her this happy and the fact that it was him that made her laugh that way. He treasures these moments because he doesn't know when they'll be able to have this kind of date again.

After the bill had been paid, they were both getting ready to leave when Leslie hears a familiar voice and she looks up sharply to see Jean-Ralphio standing at the entrance talking to the receptionist. Leslie 's heart stops. Jean-Ralphio always hung out with Tom. If he sees her and Ben, it could lead to Tom finding out about it.

Ben upon seeing the reaction on her face as she stares at something behind him, tries to turn and see who she's looking at. But he stops short when Leslie hisses for him to hide under the table. At first, he wasn't sure what she was asking him to do but as Leslie wildly gestures for him to get under the table, he instantly gets on his knees and crawls under the table cloth, understanding that it was someone she knew that was heading their way.

"Leslie!" Jean-Ralphio spots her on his way to his table at the back. "What a lovely surprise!" The word 'surprise' was sang in a high tone and stretched long.

"Hi Jean-Ralphio." Leslie says with a smile, hoping she doesn't look too nervous.

"You are looking very sexy. Mmm" Jean-Ralphio scans her table and sees the empty chair and empty wine glass. "Please tell me your date abandoned you and that you are in desperate need of a companion." He looks hopefully at Leslie.

"No, no. My, uh, date just went to the bathroom." Leslie is suddenly startled when she feels Ben's finger tracing circles around her ankle. She tries to shake it off discreetly so Jean-Ralphio wouldn't notice.

"Hey, if he's a freak and you're trying to escape a bad date, blink once and I'll save you."

Leslie tried really hard not to blink. "I don't need saving. And, I think I'll go on ahead to the car and wait for him there." She fixes her skirt and stands, getting a low guttural sound from Jean-Ralphio as he takes in Leslie's dress.

"Oh, Leslie. You just killed me with that dress." He puts his hand over his heart and pretends to faint.

"You're sweet. Alright, I'll see you around." She hurries out of the restaurant, hoping that Ben would find a way to escape under the table without being noticed.

After a few minutes, Ben decides it was safe to come out. As he crawls out of the table, he bumps into the foot of a waiter. Ben looks up to find the waiter giving him a very judging look. "I, uh, dropped my pen." Ben says as he stands, arranges his suit back to order and tries to walk out of the restaurant with whatever dignity he had left.

 

 **  
** *********************************

**At Leslie's House:**

As soon as the door closes, Ben's hands go to Leslie's waist and he leads her backwards to the couch. His lips finds hers and his kisses are full of hunger. Leslie's arms snake around his neck as they blindly make their way to the sofa. He sits in one corner and places Leslie on his lap as he starts tracing soft kisses on her shoulder.

"I had a really good time tonight." Leslie half whispers. Drowning on all the sensations elicited by Ben's soft lips on her skin.

"Except for the part where we almost got caught." Ben pauses his kissing to discuss the serious matter. "I don't think we can date in pubic again. What if that was someone from the office who almost bumped into us?"

The sadness in Leslie's eyes are obvious. "I know…" Ben hates how the mood suddenly dropped.

He decides to lighten it up again and remove the frown from Leslie's lovely face. "But more importantly, have I told you yet how gorgeous you look in this dress. Like a blonde Jackie Kennedy."

"Oh, really?" Her expression turns mischievous and Ben sees a smile form on her lips. "So, then this," She turns her face and gives Ben a soft kiss. "is how Jackie Kennedy would kiss."

Ben kisses her back with a little more force. "And that's how John F. Kennedy would kiss Jackie."

Leslie laughs at the sudden turn of playfulness. "Alright, now this is Pelosi." She adds a playful bite at the end of the kiss.

"Sweet." Ben places his hands on both sides of Leslie's face to give her a long and deep kiss. "That was Theodore Roosevelt."

Leslie turns competitive, wanting to outdo Ben's kiss. "Okay, okay. And this is how Eleanor Roosevelt would kiss."

"Whoa. Eleanor likes the tongue. Hey, show me Pelosi again."

Leslie laughs at Ben's reaction. "Okay, lay down..."

And for the remainder of the night any thoughts of getting caught were pushed back behind their minds. Both just hoping to make this secret relationship last as long as they can. Unaware of the phone in Ben's back pocket that had accidentally dialed a number in his saved contacts.

 

**-END OF STORY-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed it and that I didn't end up wasting your time. :D 
> 
> I'll be starting another story soon revolving around the time Ben and Leslie broke up.


End file.
